Blackbird
by AngryOwl
Summary: Singing in the dead of night, even broken wings won't keep him down. He'll fly high into the light and all will hear his song.
1. Chapter 1

"How could you do this, Raven?"

She kept her head held high. She had promised herself a long time ago that she would never bow her head because of her own mistakes. She would accept them with pride and dignity.

"How could you do this to me? To us? To Yang?" The man's final words were punctuated with a loud crash as he sent his fist burrowing into a wall. His breathing was heavy as he yanked his fist out of the structure, sending chunks of plaster and wood spraying across the floor before he turned to the still silent woman. She noted that this was by far the angriest she had ever seen the man as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you going to say something? Or, are you just going to sit there? You can't ignore this like you do everything else, Raven!" By the time the blond was finished shouting, he was only inches away from her. Their similarities in heights made them eye to eye with one another. She was offered a clear look at the hurt and conflict in his eyes. His emotions made her hesitate yet did not stop her completely as she sucked in a long, slow breath to steady herself.

"I had a duty. You wouldn't comply so I-" To her credit, she didn't even do so much as flinch when the man's fast came screeching toward her head. The attack missed her by a wide margin, managing to create another hole in the wall next to her head. Taiyang's heavy breathing had turned shaky while his now anger filled eyes were piercing deep into Raven's own.

"Don't give me that crap, Raven." The normally docile man growled out.

"It isn't. You know I value family, Taiyang. The experience meant nothing." The woman coolly responded. If she knew how her words would only make the blond much angrier, she would've worded her statement differently.

"What about our family?" Taiyang shouted out. "Do you know value us? Did you value Yang and I when you went out and fucked someone else?"

"I needed an heir and you wouldn't give me one nor would you let me take Yang." Raven shouted back. She wouldn't sit back and be shouted out. No matter how much she cared for the man, she would not be bullied into submission.

"You want to sacrifice a child to be raised by a tribe of murderers, thieves, and rapists! Did you honestly think I would let any child of mine go through that?"

"I knew you wouldn't. That's why I did what I did." There was no remorse in her voice as she spoke. Her gaze remained steady and unwavering while she met Taiyang's. Where the man was emotional, she was stone cold. While he was on the verge of tears, she looked almost bored with the conversation.

"Get out." And just like that, the passion that had once filled the blond flew out of him. His tired voice was a clear indicator of his emotional exhaustion as his outstretched arm fell to his side.

"Get your crap and get out. Get away from me. Get away from this house. Get away from Yang. Just go." Raven didn't even bother protesting the man's decision. She had expected this exact outcome when she made the decision to go through with her plan. And yet, when the day had finally arrived-more than a little too soon for her liking- she discovered that no amount of preparation could've fully armored her against the grief she saw in the man's tired eyes. Guilt surged up within her, threatening to bring her chin crashing downward. But, she remained strong and forced her head high.

She would not break now.

She passed Taiyang without another word. She didn't look back as she began to march up the stairs nor did she when she got to the top of them. Her gaze remained locked forward as she walked, even when she passed the closed doors to her daughter's room. She pushed forward to the room she shared with Taiyang. She kept her attention locked onto the task at hand as she began to collect her things.

The holster holding the bulk of her swords was the last thing she grabbed. She attached the thing onto the strap running across her back with a small yet audible click before turning to face the doorway. Once more, she was not surprised to see Taiyang standing at the doorway of the room.

Their eyes met and Raven found herself overwhelmed once more. It was obvious that the man had been crying. His red, puffy eyes contrasted with his normally bright and blue ones. The excitement usually contained within them had been sucked away, leaving only exhaustion and misery in their place.

"What will I tell Yang?" Taiyang spoke in a soft voice while leaning against the frame of the door. Whether this was a last ditch effort at trying to guilt her in some way, Raven did not know. She would not question the man, though. She would not grant him the opportunity to make her feel more than she already felt.

Silently, she reached over her shoulder and took hold of the hilt of one of her swords. The weapon came free of the holster with a small click and the hiss of air. Raven pulled the weapon clear of the scabbard and drew it in front of her.

"You tell her the truth." Her voice almost seemed to echo through the dark room. With a practiced ease, she slashed at the air with a vertical strike of the sword. As the tip of the blade passed through the air, a portal manifested after the weapon. She finished the movement by driving the sword into the ground, piercing the carpet and wood that laid beneath her.

Without looking back, Raven jumped into the portal. Taiyang wasn't even offered the chance the chase after her as the construct closed shortly after the woman, leaving him all alone. A loud sigh heaved its way out of the men's mouth, breaking the silence of the room before the man turned his attention to the sole item in the room that still belonged to Raven.

A long, single-edged sword stood in the center of the room. Its hilt doubling as a trigger and its cross guard barely existing. Taiyang noted only one thing about the weapon…

The golden color of its blade.

* * *

She had grown as he had grown. Raising a child hadn't been easy without Taiyang or the boy's father, the man had been cut down rather brutally in his sleep by the bearer of his child. What had been an unexpected night of pleasure for the male had been his very last.

She had managed it, though. No one could ever claim she did it right. The boy had grown with scars and wounds no child should ever grow with. Yet, it was the nature of her people. If her son hadn't managed to push past simple wounds, he wouldn't make it under her way of life. The fact that he did only proved his legacy, at least her half of it.

Now, he sat before her, tall and proud. A shallow cut black shirt clung to his upper body while a pair of long black pants covered his legs. He was adorned with an assortment of accessories, some holding meaning that even she wasn't aware of. The beads he wore were standard of her tribe yet she did not know why he deemed it necessary to wear nine pairs. From shoulder to hip he wore an orange sash that added a splash of color to his otherwise bland outfit. His spiky blond hair sat unimpeded on the top of his head except for the portion covered by a currently unused white mask.

"It's time." She said, breaking the silence between them. He nodded and stayed silent, yet she could still sense the excitement boiling beneath his skin. She was surprised he was managing to show enough control to not be jumping in his seat considering how long he had been awaiting this day.

"You'll be given the opportunity to survive outside of the tribe. Understand that this is not some type of dismissal. You are still very much a part of this tribe. Do you understand?" When the boy nearly nodded himself into a case of whiplash, Raven decided she had made him wait long enough. She reached down to her side and touched at her scabbard. Memories of a similar scene nearly 14 years earlier flashed through her mind as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt of one of her sword. She quickly pushed those thoughts away as the sword released with a click and a small hiss. It slid out of its confines with an ease granted by constant maintenance. The weapon swung through the air for a brief moment before she raised it at the blond.

"Take this sword and use it. This is my last gift to you." She watched as she grabbed the sword hilt first. He didn't care if the edge of the sword bit into his skin. His excitement had gotten a hold of him and wouldn't be letting go anytime soon.

She released her hold on the hilt as he stood. The weapon sword was immediately deposited onto his back, it supported by the boy's sash. The boy's stoic face broke as a small grin slipped across his features.

"Goodbye, mother. I'll make you and the tribe proud." Raven responded with a nod and nothing more. She didn't think she could talk anyway. She could only watch the blond turned his back on her and walked out the room. The last thing she spotted from him was the orange blade of his new sword before he disappeared behind the curtains of her hut.

"Burn like the sun, my child. Burn."

* * *

 **AN: So, this became a thing. I'll be honest with the people reading this, I wrote this on a complete whim. I have been having problems with writing the newest chapter of my other Naruto/RWBY crossover so I figured this would be a good way to break the writer's block. Of course, with every single thing I write, if people like this enough, I will eventually make it into a full fic.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Review or PM me with any questions. Enjoy the rest of your day!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Tweet Tweet_

His whistle carried through the empty forests of Mistral. The melodious tone left his lips in a sort of high pitched hum before spreading upward into the passing trees.

He was alone and had been for the past six days. The solitude was a welcome change of pace from his days with his tribe. His mother preached to him the value of family since the very first day he could listen and she definitely practiced what she preached.

This resulted in him leaving the tribe with a great many attachments to the people in it. But, it also left him somewhat burnt out on their presences. Fifteen years of spending nearly every second around a single group of people could do that to a person. Now, he was ready to explore by himself.

His whistling came to an abrupt halt along with his movement. With a turn of his head, he took a meandering look around himself, taking in the sight of the trees and nature around himself. Part way through his observation, his head stopped as he focused in on a tree approximately ten meters in front of him. The tree wasn't significant in any particular manner excluding the various birds visible on its branches. With dozens like it surrounding the tree, it seemed rather odd that the blond would show such keen focus toward it.

As a small wind blew through the clearing and the trees began to shake, Naruto narrowed his eyes. His hand began to creep towards his waist while he kept his focus on the single tree. The trees around him continued to shake while the wind continued to blow.

Without any warning, Naruto closed the remaining distance between his hand and his waistline. With an ease gifted to him through years of practice underneath his mother, he drew the gifted sword out of its makeshift scabbard. The orange blade of the weapon caught some of the passing rays of the sun's light, making it appear nearly gold in the blond's hands.

The reason behind the boy's movement revealed itself a second later as the tree he focused on wrenched itself out of the ground, sending grass and dirt spraying toward Naruto. With the wave of dirt approaching him, the boy took in a deep breath while placing his hands, and by extension his sword, directly in front of him. The breath came roaring out of his lungs when he sent the blade crashing downward in a diagonal strike. A burst of air corresponded with his movements and shot from the tip of the sword toward the approaching spray. The two forces met with the force of a stick of dynamite, complete obliterating the airborne grass and dirt while neutralizing the blond's attack.

"I've never seen one of you possess a tree." Naruto said to himself as his eyes refocused on the massive tree that was now lumbering in front of him. The thing stood at a mighty height of fifty feet. The bottom half of it had split into two and were now functioning as legs. Sitting at its center was a grimm mask with a single, glowing yellow eye glaring down at Naruto.

"No mom to help me this time." The blond muttered to himself while crouching low to the ground. He watched as the possessed tree leaned to the right, nearly toppling itself over in the process. Instead of falling over, it was saved when another tree came to its rescue by shooting out of the ground and slamming into the body of the tree. The force of the contact righted the tree creature and with it standing back up, Naruto could now see you that the other tree had become a part of the Grimm.

"Can't let you get another arm." Those were the last words uttered by the boy before he took off running toward the hulking monster. The grimm took notice of the approaching blond and, with a slowness gifted to it by its medium, raised its new limb to stop him. Without much hesitation, it then brought down its arm down onto the ground with a speed aided by gravity, sending a tremor running through the ground for miles. Naruto disappeared from the grimm's sight after this, making the creature believe it had managed to deal with the offending human.

It quickly discovered how wrong it was when it felt half of its arm go numb. A quick glance down at the ground revealed that its tree limb had been cut in half by a still very much alive blond who was standing next to the impact site. The grimm began to raise the remainder of the limb in an attempt to get it away from the human who was preparing to launch another attack with his sword. If it knew how to, the creature would've cursed when the blond buried its sword into the thick bark of its arm. As the grimm raised its arm into the air, Naruto came along with it as he kept a tight grip on his sword.

"Not my best idea." Naruto couldn't help but think to himself as he was hoisted higher and higher into the air. The world around him was a blur due to how fast he was moving. A drop from this height would most likely cripple his legs, leaving him as an easy snack for the grimm. All he could was tighten his hold on the sword and hope for the best.

"Ow!" Naruto shouted when the grimm brought its limb to a sudden stop, nearly forcing the blond's grip to break. It was only because he tightened his grip that the boy wasn't currently falling back toward the earth. Though, his now aching shoulder told him he hadn't escaped completely unscathed. He would definitely be hurting the next day.

"Oh no." The blond thought to himself as his stomach lurched. He quick glance down showed that the ground was now approaching him. Since he was still holding on to his sword, which was still buried in the arm of the grimm, he quickly deduced that the creature was bringing his arm back down to the earth. With the blond on the underside of the tree limb, this meant only trouble for him.

"My mom would skewer me if she saw this." Naruto muttered to himself before letting go of the sword. Gravity and the downward motion of the grimm's arm sent him flying down toward the creature's body. The blond held his arms out and braced for impact as he grew closer and closer to the body of the tree.

The impact hurt. It hurt a lot. Bark certainly wasn't meant to be used as a landing board. Naruto found himself gritting his teeth while his fingers dug desperately into the bark of the grimm's makeshift body for a handhold. He managed to find one but it did cost him a few layers of skin and a couple drops of blood.

This didn't stop the blond, though. He had suffered worse wounds underneath the blade of his mother. He kept his jaw clenched and his mind clear as he began to climb toward his target. Luckily for him, his makeshift landing had landed him pretty close to it.

"Good bye." Naruto mumbled out before drawing his fist back. With a determined roar, he drove his fist down toward his target, the mask of the grimm. The scuffed, white surface of the thing became covered in hairline cracks. Somehow, even through the creature's tree medium, it released a horrendous screech that nearly made the blond release his hold. He remained strong, however, and sent his fist punching downward once more at the mask. This time he was greeted with a victory when his fist broke completely through the creature's mask. Its scream came to a grinding halt along with the force that was keeping its body mobile. The tree, along with the blond attached to them, collapsed to the ground with a loud crash that sent yet another tremor traveling through the earth.

"That better not have broken my sword." The blond's arm popped out from the wreckage of dirt and tree parts while his voice carried through the clearing. His head was the next to be seen as he began to pull himself up for the ground, using the tree as a support. It didn't take much time for him to get back to his feet where he began to observe himself.

Overall, he hadn't been able too damaged in the fight or the fall. His body, especially his arm, were pretty sore but everything was moving. His clothes, on the other hand, had suffered from the altercation. The mostly black outfit now had rips running down its front, side and black. It was also smeared with dirt and green grass stains.

"They lasted a week. That's better than most of my clothing back home." Naruto muttered to himself before looking over at the remains of the wreckage. His heart sang with joy when he spotted his sword, undamaged by the fall, only a few feet away. He scuttled over the few logs separating him from the sword before pulling it out of the bark.

"Not today. Not today." The blond muttered to himself while staring down at the blade. He closed his eyes briefly while raising the sword to his forehead. His eyes opened with a heavy sigh before putting the sword back into its scabbard.

"I guess this gives me an excuse to stop in a village now." With those words, the blond began walking. It wasn't too long before the sound of his whistling accompanied his every foot step.

 _Tweet Tweet_

* * *

"I don't have any money."

Turns out, walking in a random direction would eventually get you to your destination. The technique only worked if you didn't have an exact destination in mind but the blond wasn't getting into specifics.

"Ah…" The man behind the counter furrowed his brow while glancing at the stack of clothes in the blond's hands. The young mad had come strolling into his sword and, up until this very moment, had been fairly pleasant. He greeted him with a nice smile and a wave, and was pleasant to all of the customers and himself. Now though, his opinion of the blond was swiftly changing.

"Well, I can establish a line of credit for you…" The man began to trail as he watched Naruto shake his head.

"I won't be around for much longer than an hour so that's a no." The amount of casualness in the teen's voice was not sitting well with the man. The supposedly nice boy was turning out to be nothing like he expected.

"Well, you can't take those, sir."

Naruto sighed at this. He didn't know why he had expected anything different.

"I am taking them." With those words, the blond turned and moved to walk out of the store.

"Sir, you ca-" The man moved from out behind the counter to stop the blond but was promptly stopped in his pursuit when the tip of a sword found its way to the edge of his neck. The store owner vaguely noted the burnt orange color of the blade before following its length all the way back to its owner. The pleasant look in the boy's eyes had disappeared, it being replaced with a much harder one.

"I can." His words were simple as he kept his sword locked against the man's neck. If only the man knew what he had been raised and trained in as a child. If only he decided to embrace those teachings for this moment.

This interaction would've gone much quicker.

Naruto dropped his sword from the man's throat before he could reply. He didn't need to hear it. For the man's safety, it would be best if he didn't reply in the first place.

It was with these thoughts that Naruto turned back around and walked out of the store. He let his legs carry him while a soft whistle left his lips. He didn't bother turning away or checking to see if anyone had chased after him. After the day he had, it was better if he didn't check.

After all, he didn't feel like killing anyone today.

 _Tweet Tweet_

* * *

 ** _AN: Well, this story got another chapter. I decided to make this story an "in-between" story for my main RWBY crossover. Basically, when I'm burnt out on Remnant (Which I've been for a while), I pound out a chapter of this to give me inspiration. Its been working so far so I'll see if I can keep it up._**

 ** _Thank you all for reading. Hope you enjoyed the story. Review or PM me with any questions, concerns, comments, etc._**


	3. Chapter 3

"Did you remember all your clothes?"

"Yes, Dad."

"What about extra ammo for your weapon?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Did you pack an extra bed set? I doubt the ones at Beacon are going to be that comfort-"

"Dad!" Taiyang silenced himself when the roar echoed through the house. Even with a full level of house separating the duo, he could sense his daughter's agitation. There was no need to look at her to see that she had grown tired of his mother bird mentality. Though, with the sound of her approaching footsteps on the stairs of the home, he would be receiving front row tickets to the sight anyway.

Her appearance was announced with a sizable shake of the house when her foot crashed onto the wooden floor of the first level of the house. The man released an inward sigh at the sound before crossing his arms over his chest. He sometimes wondered where his daughter picked up the tendency to act so over dramatic.

It definitely wasn't from him.

She appeared in a single go, rounding the corner to the living room in an irritated huff. Despite the anger that was clear on her features, Taiyang couldn't help but feel pride swell up in him at the sight of her. She had grown up so much from the crying baby that he had held nearly seventeen years ago. That small tuft of hair that looked nearly white at her birth now was golden in the faint light of the room while hanging down to her waist. She had grown tall, nearly as tall as himself. Her outfit, while nowhere as modest as he would've liked, even touched her a personal strand in his heart for it reminded him of his own choice of clothing. Everything from the vest to the color of the outfit looked like a mirrored version of his own.

"Are you finished?" She asked in a manner that made it clear to him that she was not happy with his behavior. He raised his hands up in a gesture of mock surrender while a sheepish grin landed on his face.

"Sorry, little dragon. Just want to make sure you had everything." The young blonde rolled her eyes at her father's reply before turning and disappearing back around the hallway corner. Taiyang listened to her stomp up the stairs for a few seconds before sighing to himself again.

He was going to miss her.

"I'm old enough to pack my own bags, old man!" Yang yelled over her shoulder while jumping over the final step separating her from the second level of the house. Her feet immediately carried her to the second room of the hallway before blasting past its cracked open door.

"Worrisome old man." The blonde mumbled to herself while striding across the floor of her bedroom, which was clean for once in her life. It was a byproduct of her leaving and she knew that when she arrived at her next destination, the floor there would succumb to the chaos of her stuff. Teammates be damned.

She reached her bed where three very large bags were sat. Two were already zipped closed while the remaining one had its content sprawled out over the bare bed. Everything from loose bullets to underwear could be seen in the spillover.

Yang sighed at the sight before stretching her arms over the bed. With one broad sweep of her limbs, she shoved all of the stuff back into the bag. It took a bit of straining and a lot of cursing but she managed to close and zip the bag up, officially completing her packing process.

An exhausted groan left her mouth as she flopped onto her bed. The exhaustion didn't show on her face, though, as a large smile was present.

17 years in the making. 17 years of hard work, training, sweat, tears, doubt, and frustration. Six of those years had been spent in puberty, which brought its benefits and woes. But now, she was ready. After all that time, she was ready to take the next step.

"Yaaaaaang! You're going to miss your flight." The blonde rose up from the bed at the sound of her sister's voice. A bit of nostalgia hit her as she gave the room one last sweep with her eyes. So many memories had been made in the room. Long nights with friends, tears spilt, punches thrown and words shouted. All of it came surging back to her while she looked over the room she grew up in.

The memories came to a halt when her eyes landed on the one thing beside furniture that remained in the room. The object hung high over the doorframe and she would've completely forgotten it if she hadn't taken the time for one last look. It's golden blade made her furrow her brow while the smile she had faded into a frown.

"Yaaaaaaaaang!" Her sister's voice cut through her melancholic focus once again. She glanced down at the door of her room before looking back up at the sword. Her frown grew deeper over a few seconds before fading into a sort of determined and steady line. Without a single sound of strain, she lifted the three bags with a single arm and began to walk toward the door. Before she could pass through its threshold, she jumped up and snatched the sword off its mantle with her free hand. When she landed, she carefully slid the weapon down past the collar of her vest. She made sure it went underneath her yellow chest bindings before making it poke from underneath the vest. With the weapon now secured, she turned to give herself one last look over in the mirror of the room. In her reflection, she could barely see the handle of the sword poking over her shoulder while the tip of the blade hung freely at the opposite hip.

"I'll find you, mom. I'll find you both. You better believe that." She nodded at her own words before turning and dashing out of the room.

She had a flight to catch.

* * *

The group of four Faunus didn't act inconspicuous by any means. Though, with their location in the backwoods of Mistral, they thought there was no need for it. Here, they could run free.

He had stumbled onto the town by complete chance. The sort of 'honeymoon' phase of his departure from the clan had started to come to a close. The beautiful sights of waning sunsets, roaring waterfalls, and thriving forests had begun to bore him. The energy he had since he was a child, an energy had taken measures to bottle up so he could enjoy the beauty of the world, was rearing its head.

He needed stimulation.

"Anyone moves and we'll shoot!"

Luckily for him, he just so happened to stumble upon it. Four Faunus, two with their hands overflowing with dust and two with their weapons drawn, could be spotted from the town's single road. From the adjacent buildings, people looked on with worry as the group of four shuffled away from their robbery.

"Here we go." Naruto mumbled while reaching behind his head for his mask. As his fingers grasped onto the object, a rush of excitement hit him. The mask represented his clan and when worn, he represented them. The smallest glimpse of his excited grin could be spotted before the mask obscured his face. With the mask secured in its place, the blond grabbed a tight hold of his sword before taking off toward the group.

"Quit swinging your damn weapon and let's get out of here." Shelly was not amused. Not one single bit. This was supposed to be a simple smash and grab. They weren't even supposed to be out here so early. The original plan was to strike an hour before closing when the sun had fallen and everyone had retired to their homes, not in the middle of the day.

"When you get a new toy, you should at least be able to enjoy it!" She would've pulled her hair out at how idiotic the statement was if she had any on her body, a characteristic of her animal background that left her bald but more aerodynamic than almost any other being. She instead sighed before sending a glance over to the surrounding areas. The sight of the town's civilians watching the scene made her frown.

This was exactly what she wanted to avoid.

A soft click going off behind her head prompted the Faunus to turn her head. With the turn, she became acquainted with the long barrel of a gun that had been built into the hilt of a sword. She looked past the supposed gun to come face to face with a grimm mask much more vicious than her own. Jagged edges, raised portions and specks of red made it look like the stranger was wearing an actual skull than a mask. There were two eye holes in the mask that burnt a bright red while a gap on the bottom half of the mask gave her a clear view of the person's frown.

"She didn't even give me any ammo." Those words were the woman's only warning to the amount of danger she had stumbled upon. The faunus moved to step backward but ended up stumbling and falling to the ground, spilling all of the dust cartridges she was holding. She soon came to realize just how lucky that stumble was when the tip of a sword passed through where she had just been standing.

The other members of her group took notice of the new presence and moved to eliminate it. The Faunus who had been bragging about his new toy, a mechanized glaive-revolver, pointed his weapon at the masked figure. Without hesitation, the man slammed his finger down on the trigger, sending several dust powdered rounds flying at his assailant. Each shot sent his rearing backward at the recoil, making each shot more erratic and off course than the last.

The mask-wearer didn't show any sign of being disturbed by the upcoming bullet storm. Before they could piece his form, he dropped low to the ground, allowing the bullets to fly overhead. With one arm keeping him from eating dirt, he used his free arm to reach out and take hold of one of the dropped dust cartridges. He jammed the dust down the empty channel of his weapon before sprinting toward the trigger-happy Faunus.

The terrorist didn't stand idle during the of his enemy's approach. He too reloaded his weapon, yet his process was much less fluid than the approaching man. After several failed attempts, the Faunus cursed before popping open the cartridge and scattering its content into the open cylinder of the revolver. It was only when he managed to slam the cylinder back into position did the Faunus realize how close his opponent had gotten during his fumbling. The realization that his gun was nearly useless in such a close range struck the man, prompting him to raise his sword up through the air.

Naruto watched with masked interest while the man's sword rose high into the air. He noted the change in the form it undertook, its barrel shrinking and leaning backward, its grip morphing to form a sort of mock guard and a blade manifesting out of the muzzle of the gun. With an adrenalin fueled shout, the man brought the transformed glaive down toward Naruto.

With the blond being low to the ground, the weapon had a distance to travel, giving Naruto plenty of time to react. Not even giving the Faunus time to build momentum, Naruto unsheathed his sword and sent it cutting upward, meeting the Faunus' weapon with his own. The two blade collided in a quick flash of sparks and the harsh cry of metal grinding against metal. The Faunus proved to be the loser in the encounter as the recoil from the exchange left his hand aching and rattled, nearly making him drop his weapon. He managed to keep a hold on the thing but his efforts were proven fruitless when the blond came across his throat with his sword, cutting a jagged line through the tanned flesh.

While the man moved to stop his bleeding throat, Naruto turned toward the two other active White Fang. One still had their hands full of dust cartridges and seemed busy with watching their dying comrade. He pointed the barrel of the sword at this Faunus before pulling the trigger of the weapon, sending a single bullet flying toward the shocked terrorist. The bullet found its mark, burying itself into one of the many dust cartridges held by the Faunus. Within a moment after the bullet's impact, the cartridges exploded one after another, consuming the Faunus in a miniature dust explosion.

The last standing Faunus turned their head to catch the beginning of the explosion. That proved to be their downfall when Naruto appeared in front of them in a slight crouch. The Faunus had no time to react as the blond diced their front by dragging his sword across their chest several times, leaving several red ravines along the Faunus' body in his wake. The Branwen punctuated the attack by driving the tip of his blade through the Faunus' chest before tearing it out in a single smooth movement.

Shelly watched the complete decimation of her team occur in under a moment. The sight was horrifying. For the first time since joining the White Fang, she understood the effects a mask held. The glowing eyes made the masked figure's action all the more intimidating. When she watched her leader's throat get slit, she nearly cried, not believing the site. She was forced to accept it when the man blew up her comrade before skewering the last. Now, she was face to face with the beast. The man had stridden over to her and stood over her still grounded form.

"Please just let me go. I promise I won't continue with the White Fang. Just please let me live." She raised an arm up toward the blond while she begged. The sight of the mask terrified her and the trembling of her voice made that clear. That terror grew with each passing moment without a reply from the silent figure. Her life seemed to become forfeit when the silence dragged on for half of a minute.

Naruto answered the Faunus' plea by bringing his sword down at her elbow. The weapon cut through her flesh with ease, separating her lower arm from the rest of her body. A scream tore its way out of Shelly's throat at the site of her bisected arm and the subsequent pain. Her hand immediately clutched at the bleeding stump while she pushed herself away from the idle masked man.

"Leave." Despite her scream, she didn't need to be told twice. She pushed herself up to her feet in a mad scramble before taking off in the opposite direction of the blond. Naruto watched her go for several seconds before turning his attention onto the true prize.

"Thank you … sir." The shop owner retreated from his shop with no small amount of caution. With three dead bodies within sight, one with a slit throat and one still burning, the man wasn't completely trusting of the masked figure. He may have saved his product but that didn't excuse the blatant murdering.

Naruto said nothing, instead taking the time to pick up the dust cartridges dropped by Shelly. The shop owner watched this occur for several seconds with a growing frown on his face. It seemed as if his robbery had been picked up by the masked individual.

"Sir, please drop the dust catr-" The approaching man found his approach halted when Naruto rounded on him. The glowing red eyes of the blond's mask froze the shop owner in his place, even as the thief pocketed yet another cartridge.

"Old man." With the smell of burning flesh drifting through the air and the horrendous display that he had taken part in, that was all Naruto needed to say to halt the man in his tracks. The shop owner made the wise decision to step away from the blond. Naruto nodded his head at the decision before collecting the remaining dust cartridges. He stored the last of them in the fold of his clothes before sheathing his sword. He took the time to look around him, taking in the frightened expressions of the town's inhabitants behind the windows of their homes. They cowered beneath his gaze, shrinking out of his sight as his eyes passed over them.

"I got what I wanted." The shop owner heard the man speak before looking back toward him. The aged man kept himself steady, his head held high and his chest puffed forward. The two held each other's gaze for several seconds before Naruto turned his back to the man and his shop. His footsteps carried him away from the dead bodies and out of the town, leaving its citizens to deal with the aftermath.

"Someone get on the CTT! Contact the nearest police force!" The old man dared to shout once the blond disappeared far down the world. As several of his fellow citizens scrambled to fulfill his request, he took a glance at the bodies in front of his shop. The sight of burnt flesh and spilled blood disgusted him, forcing him to look away after several seconds. Almost every citizen in town did the same, they unable to deal with the reality of the murder. Only one young boy was bold enough to look at the body. And, as his gaze swept over the still form of the unfortunate Faunus with his throat cut, he took notice of something peculiar. Something the young child had never seen in his lifetime.

Almost unnoticeable black flakes were rising from the skin of the Faunus' throat and floating high into the air. The boy watched the flakes rise for a moment, captivated by them as they danced in the wind, before his mother pulled him away. She too had taken notice of the flakes and had decided against embracing her curiosity, instead choosing to label them as a mere illusion of her stressed mind.

When the day came that she saw the light of the sun blocked by those very same flakes, she would realize just how wrong she was. But, for now, she would live in comfortable ignorance.

Ignorance was bliss after all.

* * *

 _ **AN: Well, there it is.**_ Thats _ **the third chapter of Blackbird. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. For some odd reason, I took a lot of pleasure writing this chapter. I really enjoyed it like I have been enjoying writing this story in general.**_ Its _ **been really inspirational.**_

 _ **To make it clear, Yang will be**_ a main _ **character in this fic. I like the dual perspectives in this chapter and will play around with it. I would like to think of her as a deuteragonist. This will become much clearer in the upcoming chapters.**_

 _ **Once again, thank you all for reading. Review or PM me with any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. Enjoy the rest of your day.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Crows were known to gather in large groups to sleep together, finding comfort in sizable numbers when they were at their most vulnerable. The sun had long since fallen from the sky, covering the area in darkness. This was the time for the true nocturnal predators to flex their muscles.

" _Why is that bird still following me_?" He knew he shouldn't have been agitated. It was a simple bird, after all. The creature didn't stand as a threat to him nor had it bothered him. Yet, the bird's silent present on seemingly every other visible tree branch unnerved him.

He sighed before running a hand through golden locks. He was overthinking this. "It's just a simple bird. It cannot harm me." He repeated this to himself over and over again while his fingers danced around the handle of his sword.

"It's just a bird. It's not going to hurt me." He said it out loud once again, before continuing his stroll through the forest. The dry Autumn leaves crunching beneath his feet, while his eyes stayed locked onto the branches above. His mantra continued to be repeated in his head, even as the bird's presence disappeared from his senses.

Eventually any thoughts of the bird faded from the boy's minds while more important subjects made themselves known. Specifically, where exactly he was going to sleep for the night. As much as camping out beneath the stars had been fun for him, he had grown tired of waking up to a sore back and dirt covering his clothes. He wanted to sleep in a bed, yet his lack of geographical knowledge left him with no luck.

"I should've taken a map instead of just dust." He would have to make due for now. The next town he came across, though, he would be leaving with much heavier pockets.

"Maybe I'll get one of thos-" The blond's line of thought came to a quick end when the sound of a loud crack reached his ears. A moment later, he took several shuffling steps to his right moments before a branch almost as large as a man came crashing down on top of him. The thick branch slammed against the ground with a loud crash, shaking the surrounding trees. Naruto stood staring at the branch for a few moments out of pure shock before looking up to the trees overhead. The darkness of the night left his view limited, forcing him to squint his eyes for any chance to see what may have caused this.

The soft and sudden crunch of leaves behind him prompted Naruto to turn around. The sound had sounded too close for comfort for him. His hand was already grasping onto the handle of his sword by the time he made the full revolution.

Unfortunately, Naruto was not quick enough to stop his assailant from slamming the butt of their weapon against the top of his head. Stars filled his vision within an instant after the hit while he stumbled backward. The air was filled with the sound of crackling leaves as his backward stumble left his feet crashing into the ground in a desperate attempt to catch his balance.

Even though his head was spinning enough to make him want to vomit, his vision willed him to lean his head backward, avoiding the second hit that was aimed for his temple. Though, the sudden shift in weight along with his swimming vision left him off balance and sent him falling backwards onto his ass. Now firmly connected with the earth, his mind and vision cleared up, giving him a clear view of the sword butt heading toward his forehead. He shifted his head to the left, allowing the sword to fly past his head, before kicking both of his feet up and out of his assailant. His attack didn't connect, his opponent managing to dodge around it with relative ease. When his reconnected with the ground, the blond attempted to push himself back up to a standing position. His attempt was put to an end when a foot came slamming down onto his chest, driving the air out of his lungs with a loud gasp.

"I thought that first hit was going to knock you out. I don't know why, though. You're probably as hardheaded as the rest of them." At the sound of the raspy voice, Naruto turned his attention upward. An angry huff left his lips while his eyes narrowed over the dark-haired figure standing over him.

"Now sit still and le-" The man stopped himself when he felt a pair of hands wrap tightly around his ankle. In a surprising display of strength, the blond pushed up on the man's leg, pushing it off of his chest for a brief moment. He took advantage of his freedom by rolling away before the man could trap him again. His body made several revolution before he pushed off the ground with his hands, bringing him back up to his feet. Once there, his right hand took an immediate dive toward his sword and pulled it out of its sheath. He leveled the blade at the scowling older male that stood several meters away from him.

"She gave you one of her swords? I'm shocked. She never liked to share as a kid." Naruto's assailant spoke while shouldering what looked to be a mixture of a sword and a shotgun. The Branwen's eyes traced over its silver form for a few moments before shifting to meet with his opponent.

"And you're not nearly as drunk as she told me you would be."

"So Raven talks about me?" The man raised an eyebrow at this.

"She told me that an old drunk man named Qrow who happens to be my uncle would come chasing after me eventually." Qrow did a long nod of his head before allowing his weapon to swing to his side. Naruto followed suit while straightening his back, putting him back at his full height. He was begrudgingly forced to take note that his uncle stood taller than him while he took the chance to trace over the man's features.

Qrow really was his mother's twin. Looking at the man, the blond couldn't help but see him as a male version of the woman he grow up under. Everything from his black hair to the shape of his face reminded him of his mom. It was an odd feeling, one he didn't enjoy much so he quickly focused his attention onto the man's eyes.

"Our first meeting, eh?"

"It's been sixteen years and we've never talked before. Why meet now?" Naruto questioned even while the answer sat in the back of his mind. Contrary to what he had told his uncle, his mother had told him a lot more about the man, specifically why he decided to leave the tribe.

"You hadn't murdered people in the middle of a town until a couple days ago." Qrow said in his same languid voice yet now it contained an underlying hardness to it.

"They were robbing a shop owner."

"You robbed a shop owner." Qrow shot back, the laziness in his voice now gone. The change in tone didn't bother his nephew much. The young boy shrugged at his words, causing the older male to sigh.

"They've gotten to you." The hunter muttered.

"They also raised me." Silence followed the boy's statement as the two locked eyes again. The relaxation that once overcame them both had begun to fade. Somehow, the tension of their fight had been replaced by something stronger. In the end, it was Qrow who decided to break.

"Kid, we need to talk."

* * *

Her father had been reluctant to send her off to Vale. Her office orientation hadn't been for another week. A pre-orientation, a week full of events meant to prepare some of the more ambitious students for school, was meant to be taken place. Her father hadn't been confident about the idea. It had taken a bit of talking and a lot of arguing but he eventually relented.

"You were right, dad. I'll never say it out loud, though." She thought to herself while her feet carried her down the night covered streets of Vale. A lot of her father's caution of sending her away early had been that she would somehow manage to get herself into trouble. And, with the path she was traveling on, that reality was looking more viable with each step she took.

"It's a two-hour wait."

"They won't let us in without money."

"Lets just go home."

The sound of disgruntled voices made her steps quicker. Their unique tones soon melted together and disappeared into a mesh of noise that included laughing, yelling and repetitive dance music. The sight of a line stretching the length of several city blocks soon greeted her eyes. Her gaze quickly ran up the line of people for several moments before stopping at its front.

"Junior's club." She read out loud the neon sign hanging above the club's entrance. Her brow furrowed at its sight before she took off toward it. As she passed, she could hear several people complaining about her apparent 'cutting' of them. She paid them no mind. She wasn't here to spend the night dancing. She needed to be here.

"No entry unless your name is on the list." Yang held back the snarl that she so desperately wanted to let loose at the guard's words. She instead let loose a smile that she had practiced many times in the mirror of her room. She shifted her skirt-covered right hip toward the guard while throwing her hair toward him.

"I know I'm not on the list but do you think you could let me in?" As the words left her mouth, she kept her face locked into what she thought was a flirty expression. The unblinking eyes of the guard was making her think otherwise, but she didn't back down. With a subtlety she wasn't known, she thrust her chest out at the man while keeping her smile as bright as ever.

"You can go in." Yang nearly squealed at the man's response. Instead, she flashed him a bright smile before basically skipping past him into the club. The sound of outraged line-waiters sat in her ears for a few moments before being replaced with the bass heavy music of the club.

"I really do have to come back here later." The young blond thought to herself while she drank in all the sights and sounds of the club. The flashing lights, dancing people, bear-headed DJ and well-dressed guards appealed to her more wild side. If she hadn't been so focused, she was sure she would've found herself on the dance floor.

She pushed those thoughts aside, however, once her eyes landed on the bar of the club. Her feet began to carry her toward it while her eyes locked onto its sole worker. The tall man was currently pouring a well-dressed couple a pair of drinks.

She settled onto one of the bar's many seats and waited. Patience was never her forte yet this was worth waiting for. Plus, she knew the man would eventually make her way over to her.

'After all, no one can resist the charm of Yang Xiao Long.' she thought to herself while leaning forward in her chair. She had removed her usual brown scarf, allowing for a … better view of her chest area. With her leaning forward, any person standing anywhere in front of her would have a nearly unobstructed view down her shirt.

And just like a moth to a flame, Junior began to make his way toward her within a minute of her leaning forward. She had to stop herself from laughing at the guy as he not-so-subtlety stole glances at her chest. Being well-endowed had came with the perk of making certain men act like idiots.

"What can I get for you today, ma'am?" Yang's smile was on full display while the man spoke. He didn't seem to take much notice due to his attention being split between her chest and her face.

"I want the best thing you got in this place." Yang said in response. Junior nodded his head at her words before reaching down beneath the bar.

"So, what bri-"

"Oh, you can do better than that." The man stopped at the sound of Yang's voice. He looked up from his drink making to see the girl flashing him a challenging smirk.

"What?"

"Let me guess, you're going to make me some ultra-fruity drink in some bowl with a handle that has an umbrella and a scoop of ice cream in it." Before the man could even begin to refute her statement, Yang leaned forward across the bar, bringing her near face to face with the man. Her new position also afforded Junior a truly unblocked image down her shirt where his eyes stood transfixed for a brief moment before migrating back up to her face.

"I want the real stuff, Junior. The stuff you bring out for special occasions. The stuff you don't even keep at the bar. The stuff that ruins your night and the next morning." Yang whispered in a throaty voice to the man. Junior was defenseless to her charm, leaving him nodding along to her words. The blonde smiled at his compliance while slowly lowering herself back down into her seat.

"Good. I'm willing to pay for it too." She finished her statement off with a wink and knew she had the man. Without another word, he turned and nearly dashed his way toward the back room of the bar. She laughed at his enthusiasm before leaping onto her chair. Her action caused a bit of alarm from the people around her yet she ignored it in favor of jumping onto the other side of the bar. She ran toward the same backroom before disappearing behind its door, making sure to lock it behind herself.

"She's going to love this." Junior said to himself while holding up a large bottle of liquor. The man yelped when the bottle exploded in his hand while the sound of a gunshot echoed through the room. He reached to his side for his bat, but cursed when his hands touched nothing. He instead brought his fist up in a mock defense while turning to face the door.

"What are you do-" That was all Junior managed to get out before a gauntlet slammed into his mouth. He was sent backward onto his ads while blood dripped from his mouth.

"What the he-"

"Shut up or I'll start taking out teeth." Junior wisely decided to shut his mouth at Yang's words. He was forced to look up to meet the girl's eyes while she glared down at him.

"You're Junior Xiong, right?"

"Ye-" Junior was swiftly silenced when a gunshot went off beside his head.

"Do not talk unless I tell you to." Yang snarled out at the man while cocking her gauntlet at the man. Junior gave a rapid nodding of his head at the threat of getting it blown off. The blonde seemed satisfied by this as she lowered her weapon from the man's head.

"Now, are you Junior Xiao?" He gave a slow nod of his head.

"Is it true you know or can get information on anyone?" Junior hesitated at this one. His mind was willing him to speak if only to clarify the statement, yet the hardened look in her eyes told him that would be a horrible idea. Telling her no seemed to be much worse.

"Good." Junior became much more relaxed as a smile settled onto Yang's face. That relaxation ended in a swift moment when the blonde yanked him off his feet and into the air. A yelp wanted to escape his throat but he stopped himself when he took notice of the now crimson irises of the girl's eyes.

"You're going to tell me everything you know about the Branwen clan. Every single thing."

* * *

 **AN: Well, there's another chapter. You may have noticed an improvement in quality in terms of grammar. You can thank TheMightyMorgoth for that. He has been helping me brainstorm some ideas for this story, Perfection and he has edited this chapter a bit. Pay him a little love if you guys want! He's really helped me brew up a strong base for both stories.**

 **Naruto and** Qrow **are having a little chat while Yang and Junior are doing the same. I decided to change up the nightclub scene purely because there is literally a video already displaying it. I haven't made any changes to Yang yet where the fight would play out any differently. Though, as you may have already guessed, she may be a _little_ more violent. Things will unfold with time.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate its growth and popularity. Review with any questions, comments, concerns, etc. Have a wonderful rest of the day.**


	5. Chapter 5

This morning was a pleasant one. At least, it had been pleasant so far to him. He woke up to the soft rays of sun on his face. The batch of coffee he made turned out to be some of his best in recent memories. And, the latest preparations for the newest class of Beacon students were going swimmingly. All in all, life was well for Ozpin.

He pushed open the doors of his office with his left hands while holding his mug to his lips with the other. With his eyes cast downward, he took a step into the room, allowing the door to close behind him. He walked deeper into the room, his eyes traveling upward with each step. His movement came to a stop when his eyesight became level.

The soft snores should've been the first thing that tipped him off but he had chosen to ignore them. Most likely because he didn't want his perfect morning to come to an end. But, with the presence of a sleeping Qrow in his office's chair, he had no choice. He resigned him to this realization while crossing the remaining distance between him and his desk. Once arrived, he placed his mug down on its surface before walking around its edge. His eyes traced over the gentle rise and fall of one of his best huntsman's chest. He allowed the man several more seconds of peaceful sleep-god knew he needed it-before reaching out his hand to rouse him awake. Before his hand could make contact, the man's eyes shot up. His hand was halfway to his weapon before he realized who was standing in front of him. His hand fell and hung off the side of the chair while he settled himself deeper into its leather cushions.

"Enjoying my chair?" Ozpin asked with a slight smile playing against his lips. He reached out and took his coffee back into his hands while Qrow released a yawn.

"Yup. You got it good, Oz." Qrow said while watching the man sip from his mug. He gave a lazy scratch at his cheek as his eyes met with the headmaster.

"So, am I to assume that your meeting went well?" The man's question elicited a chuckle out of the huntsman. While the laugh left his mouth, he leaned forward in Oz's seat.

"You're never one to beat around the bush, are you?" Qrow asked in between chuckles. Ozpin nodded along to his words with his smile growing larger with each passing moment.

"I figured you would want to know. I came here to wait for ya but I ended up passing out." The man said before giving his limbs a long stretch. The stretch ended with him half laid out in the chair while staring up at the ever patient Ozpin.

"He's definitely her kid, Oz." The headmaster raised an eyebrow at this. He set his mug back down onto his desk before focusing his full attention on the Branwen.

"What do you mean?"

"He is a stubborn brat." Qrow spat out while a frown moved onto his lips. "He's got his mother's personality all the way through, there's no denying that."

"Are you saying that you failed in your talks with him?" Ozpin felt the room grow tense as the frown on the man's face faded. The emotion drained from his face, leaving a stone cold mask in its place. The expression, or lack of, chilled the headmaster. It was a state he rarely saw the man. The only other time he had seen the man like that was when his sister had departed from their team.

"I wish I had more time." Qrow's voice was somber as he spoke. "I wish I had known what she was planning, Oz. I would've never let her do it. My nephew…" The man paused before rising up from his seat. Ozpin watched him traveled over to the office's main window before leaning against its surface.

"He's a killer, Oz. He doesn't pity his victims. He doesn't feel any shame. He's heartless."

"He's not heartless, Qrow. Simply misguided. It is up to us to place him back on the right pa-"

"It's not as simple as that, Oz." Qrow said while spinning to face the man. The two met eyes, giving Ozpin a full view of the grief in the man's eyes.

"You can't just turn away from that. Taking someone's life … that sticks with you. It never goes away." The room fell into silence after the man's words. The headmaster kept his mouth closed while Qrow's troubled gaze burrowed into him.

"I'll keep trying." The huntsman broke the eye contact with a languid sigh. He turned to face the window once more, offering Ozpin a view of his hunched shoulders.

"I'm not giving up on family, Oz. Not this one." He nodded along to the Qrow's words while taking a step toward the man. He placed a shoulder on the huntsman's shoulder, prompting the man to turn his head toward the headmaster.

"I will be here to assist you. For all of our sakes, you must succeed."

* * *

In the dead of the night, the small church house was surrounded by darkness. It stood as the lone building in miles of dense forest. The bell tower rose high over the tops of the trees, giving off a faint light due to a lantern hanging in its window.

The inside of the church was lit by a multitude of candles. Several rows of wooden pews took up the majority the room. At the front of the church sat a complex altar setup. A white marble altar draped with a golden cloth was the most eye-catching feature. Sat behind the altar was a massive statue of a cloaked man kneeling on a marble platform. The man's wrinkled hands were clasped together above his head while he bowed it low to the ground. Behind him, carved into the same marble, were several Grimm-like creatures that were clawing away at the man's cloak.

"Watch over me."

And kneeling down on both knees in front of all of this was Naruto Branwen. His hands were clasped together in a similar fashion to the statue while his head hung low to the ground. He remained unmasked within the religious building while he repeated the mantra over and over to himself.

"Its odd to see someone so young in a church nowadays." Naruto had to stop himself from drawing his sword at the sudden sound of a voice. It was only through the reminder that he was in a "holy" building that he wasn't sending off shots at the moment. Instead, he unclasped his hands before using them to push himself off the ground. Once back on his feet, he took notice of the cloaked figure standing near the altar. With the hood of the cloak pulled back, Naruto was able to tell that the figure was a woman of about middle-age. A small smile graced her first while she stared down at him.

"We don't get many visitors around here these days." Naruto had to hold back a chuckle at how obvious her words were. The church's location in the middle of the woods didn't seem prime to attract many religious folk. Though, out of respect, he kept his mouth close.

"I sort of got lost and stumbled here." The blond admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. His statement earned a chuckle from the cloaked woman while she took a step toward him.

"That would explain how you got here, young man. Though, that doesn't explain why you looked like you were praying. Do you happen to be religious?" With her being closer, Naruto could now spot the strange red markings running beneath her eyes. They took the form of three thick red lines that stretched over the bridge of her nose. Streaks of black cut through the red at random, creating a multicolored mesh on her face.

"I would say so." Naruto said before his arm dropped down to his side. "My mom taught me a lot about Deity Brothers when I was younger. I guess it stuck with me."

"Your mother did well to teach you that, child. I can sense the presence of the favor of one of them laid upon your shoulders." Now, Naruto never believed himself to be a person who played too deep into the world of the supernatural. His faith was centered around nights of praying without a single response. Constant doubt was a staple of it all, so the woman's comment didn't have much of an effect on him.

"If you say so." The blond muttered out. He nearly ripped his sword from out of its sheath when the woman crossed the distance separating the two in a blur of movement. Her face became inches apart from his own while a large smile spread across her face.

"I know so, boy." She breathed heavy into his face while she spoke. "I know it well. And soon, you'll know it."

Naruto took a slow step backward away from the woman while keeping a tight hold on his sword. If the woman's words weren't enough to trouble him, the look in her eyes did it. The dark blue of her irises shined bright in the dim room. She looked deranged, nearly fanatical with the shadow of her hood stretching across her face.

"The world will know it. All will-" The woman took a long step toward him while the words flew out of her mouth. She would have continued if Naruto hadn't decided to release his sword from its sheath and level it at her. All movement from her was stopped as the edge of the weapon laid inches from her face. She stared at the weapon's tip for a few brief moments before trailing her eyes up its surface, up Naruto's arm and eventually stopping on the boy's face. The lines of his face formed an angry scowl while his eyes stayed trained on her.

"I have upset you." The woman whispered before taking a step away from the blond. She then bowed her head low to the ground, throwing the hood of her cloak high over his head.

"Please accept refuge in the church for the night as an apology." She offered one more bow of her head before turning away from the boy. Her steps were steady and slow as she made her way back to the church's altar. He watched her walk until she disappeared through a doorway before putting away his sword.

"There's no way I'm staying here tonight," Naruto muttered to himself while he turned and walked out of the doorway. He would be a fool to leave himself unconscious anywhere near that woman after the interaction he had with her. Her words echoed through his thoughts while his feet carried him further and further away from the church. Only one thing was on his mind as he disappeared into the trees.

"What the hell was she talking about?"

* * *

Yang was bored and frustrated. In the past, those two emotions combined together had gotten her into a lot of frustration. Now, she was trying her best to hold herself back from repeating her past actions.

Her meeting with Junior had been a complete bust. All of the information he told her brought her nowhere close to finding her mother and brother. That fact made her release an angry huff before slamming her fist into the bed of her hotel room.

Despite her frustration, Junior had been able to tell her a little about 'her' tribe. They were apparently a nomadic group of warriors dating back to the time of the maidens. They were religious, almost to the point of fanaticism but past that nothing else. No information on where they stayed, how they lived or even a hint as to what could've made her mother leave with her brother.

"What a waste." The girl sighed to herself before picking up her scroll. She started to swipe through its content but stopped when a soft knock echoed through the room. Her eyes cut toward the door of the room while she lowered her scroll back onto the bed. Her adventures in Junior's club had left her a bit paranoid. She began to load her weapon with its patented explosive shells as she rose from the bed and began to make her way toward the door. While she slammed the chamber of her gauntlets, another knock echoed through the room. Yang crossed the remaining distance in several long steps while holding her hands up to her face. She took in a deep breath for preparation before looking into the peephole of the door.

"Of course." The girl sighed out when she saw who was on the other side of the door. She let her arms drop down to her sides before reaching out and unlocking the door.

"Uncle Qrow." Yang announced while swinging the door open. The man offered up a grunt in return before brushing past her to enter the room. The blonde rolled her eyes while he sauntered past her before closing and locking the door.

"Why are you here, old man?" Yang questioned while turning toward the man. He decided not to answer immediately, instead he took the time to flop onto the bed. The girl had a frown on his face while she watched him dig into the pocket of his pants and retrieve a metal flask. He put the flask to his lips and took several loud gulps of its contents before sitting up to look at Yang.

"The real question is why was a seventeen year old was at a bar flashing her cleavage and beating up on bartenders." The man slurred out while leveling a glare at the young girl. Yang rolled her eyes at his question before walking over to sit in the only chair in the small hotel room.

"You already know why." She had never been secretive about her desire to learn more about her mother and brother. She knew her uncle was smart enough to put two and two together if he hadn't already done so.

"You need to stop this, Yang."

"Why should I?" The girl fired back in an instant. "I have the right to know."

"You're going to get yourself hurt trying to figure something out that you won't get an answer to." When it came to his sister, straight answers did not exist. Even when it came to him, the person she spent her whole childhood with, he didn't get much of anything from her. He knew Yang wasn't going to have much more success.

"That's not going to stop me from trying." Qrow shook his head at her words before standing from the bed. Yang eyes followed him as he walked around the bed to stand in front of her.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you when you turned thirteen." Qrow started off while staring into his niece's eyes. "Drop the fixation on your mom and your brother. It'll get you hurt. Your mom is a stubborn, murder-"

"Get out." Yang's words cut through the man, stopping him in his tracks. A flash of red in her eyes was his sign that he had managed to effectively piss the girl off.

"Yang, list-" The man was cut off once again when the sound of Yang cocking one of her gauntlets reached his ears. His view of her face had been cut off, leaving him staring down at her golden fists.

"Get out." She grunted out while keeping her fist aimed at his face. Instead of moving, Qrow remained silent and still for a few moments. He tried to move his head to the side to regain his view of the girl's expression but the gauntlet moved to block his way once more.

"Fine, you stubborn brat." Qrow grunted out before turning and walking toward the door. He pulled the door open before turning to face the girl. With her back turned, he was only able to get a view of her flickering blond hair. He moved his lips to speak but stopped himself before any sound left his mouth. He shook his head briefly before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"I'm going to find you two," Yang mumbled to herself while her eyes flickered from deep red to deep lilac. She stood shaking while the soft light of the afternoon sun illuminated her fiery hair.

"Even if it kills me, I'll find them. And I'll get the answers I deserve."

* * *

 _ **AN: There's another chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed it. We're getting into the deeper plot! I wonder if anyone can guess what I have in mind.**_

 **Once again, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I thank you for its continued success. I really do enjoy writing for this story. Review or PM me with any questions, concerns, comments, etc.**


	6. Chapter 6

The dark had always been comforting to him. He never knew why. Ever since he was a child, he would reach his peak beneath the light of the fractured moon. The sight of it comforted him and filled him with insatiable curiosity. The question of what exactly had been strong enough to break apart that large of a mass played through his mind on a constant basis. Today was no different.

For once, he wasn't walking. Instead he sat beneath the overhanging roof of an old barn. His back was leaned against its scarlet walls while his hands were busy wrapping a roll of bandage around his leg.

A sharp hiss left his lips while he jerked his hands away from his outstretched leg. He glanced down at his palm to see that it was now covered in a thin streak of blood. He clicked his teeth together in agitation before wiping the blood away on his torn pants and continuing to wrap his leg.

"Grimm just love me." The boy muttered to himself while performing the last wrap around his leg. He pulled his hand back and admired his work. His leg, from ankle to knee, was now covered in the bandages. Small amounts of red were bleeding through at some sections yet most of it remained a pristine white.

"Mom would be proud." He laughed at the statement before jumping up to his feet. His landing ended with a bit of a stumble but he managed to recover without falling back to the ground. With his balance restored, he smacked at his bandaged leg, giving a slight wince at the resulting pain but nothing else.

"That should hold."

"It hasn't even been month and you've managed to get yourself injured." His hand was by his side in an instant. In one smooth motion, he turned to face the sound of the voice while removing his sword from its sheath. He started to spin the sword so that it's pommel was pointed at the intruder but he stopped himself when he took notice of who he was standing in front of.

His blue eyes met with her red ones. No words were exchanged between the two as they stared. The soft glow of moonlight fell upon both of their figures, illuminating their still forms. Naruto was the first to break the stillness, his lips beginning to turn upward. With that movement, a switch had been flipped.

With a practiced ease, Naruto shifted his upper body to the side, leaving him unharmed from his mother's blade. His face remained a calm mask while inwardly he was thanking every bit of instinct he had. His mother had always shown an intense mastery of Iaido when he was a child. Her strikes back then seemed to blur the line of physical capability. This time was no different. He had to strain his eyes to follow that one strike.

"You haven't slowed." Naruto wanted to respond to her words but found that he had to focus his full attention on ducking beneath a slash that was meant to bisect him. In his crouched stance, he decided to strike back, sending the edge of his blade at the woman's leg. Like so many times before, his sword didn't meet his intended mark. It instead meet with the blunt edge of Raven's own sword when she buried its point into the ground.

Naruto didn't slow down at the blocked attack, bringing his sword upward along the edge of his mother's sword. With her sword buried and the speed of her son's ascending attack, Raven had no choice but to leap backward, abandoning the sword while moving out of the range of his attack. Her feet left the ground while her hand made an immediate path to her sheath. Before she could grab at the hilt of one of her other blades, Naruto was in her face once more, his sword halfway through its journey to her chest. She quickly abandoned her attempt at arming herself and instead brought her gauntlets up to her midsection. The blond's blade slammed into the red armor, creating a flurry of sparks while sending the woman accelerating backward. The change in speed made her landing an awkward one, causing her to stumble. She managed a quick recovery but it wasn't quick enough to give her time to dodge her son's next strike. He descended from his leap aided by gravity, bringing his sword down across her face. The blade met its mark, slicing through the tender flesh of her cheek. Droplets of blood were sent dribbling down from the woman's face as Naruto pulled his blade away. Their eyes met once more, the heat of battle making it a nearly impossible task. Yet the mother-son managed it.

"You drew blood." Raven stated with a neutral expression before reaching up to touch at her new wound. Her eyes traced over her now bloodied fingers for a few short moments before returning to Naruto while a smile of her own began to grow.

"I'm proud." Naruto felt a grin grow on his own face at the sound of her words. Compliments were a rare treat in his household. Receiving one was the equivalent of receiving a bar of gold to him.

"We have to talk." The smile dropped from his face in an instant at her words. Her expression mirrored his as she moved to sheath her sword.

"You have a new mission."

* * *

 _You can't take my life_

 _I'm not your Sacrifice_

 _You can try but I'm free_

 _And you won't conquer me_

Yang's head bobbed along to the melancholic beat of the song. Her face was set in a calm mask while her feet carried her down one of Vale's many streets.

 _I won't crawl_

 _Most of all_

 _I won't fall for you_

She mouthed along to the words while the song's guitar screeched to her through the headphones. The gift from her father was being put to good use at the moment. The bright orange device brought some semblance of control to her wild golden hair while it played her music.

 _Show them gods and deities…_

Her focus on the song faded as it transferred into its second verse. The chorus of the song was what interested her the most and with it gone, she could focus on the outside world.

Her night following her visit from Qrow had been a frustrating one. Her uncle's presence had left a sour taste in her mouth, one that she felt that some good ol' physical release would help get rid of. She had wandered into the forest that same night, gauntlet and sword in her possession, and laid waste to the surrounding area. Her bullets and gauntlets made quick work of any standing trees while her sword brought her the cathartic sensation of slicing into something. Her non-existent experience with the weapon made it all but useless in hand except for swinging it at stationary objects like she had done that night.

Unfortunately, this left her spent on ammo which left her on her current mission of getting more ammo. With her orientation approaching, she would need to be prepared.

" _All thanks to dad._ " She thought to herself with a smile while she patted at her pocket. Having an overprotective and, at times, overbearing father had it's perks. One of those was definitely financial.

 _It was just fine_

 _We lived in peace_

 _Looked to a happy ending_

The change in melody and lyrics announced the arrival of a new song. Her mind began to drift its focus onto the new lyrics but she stopped it when she spotted a small disturbance a block ahead. Curiosity turned into urgency when the sound of shattering glass reached her ear. At that same moment, a man made his appearance along with loose shards of glass as he was thrown onto the sidewalk. He landed in a heap of bone and skin before scampering up to his feet. He threw a quick glance back at the shop before taking off down the street, leaving behind a sidewalk full of confused pedestrians.

" _That's weird._ " The blonde thought to herself while she watched the man run off. Most people didn't get thrown out of a window and run away like it was nothing.

"Hurry it up, boys!" A voice rang out through the nighttime silence, catching the girl's attention. The owner of the voice became clear to her when a leg poked its way out of the broken window. The leg was soon followed up with the rest of the body, revealing the person's flamboyant appearance. The all-white suit and black pants contrasted with the man's vibrant orange hair. The black eyeliner surrounding his eyes highlighted his sparkling green irises. The man looked ecstatic while swinging the handle of his cane around his index finger.

"I said hurry up!" The man's happy demeanor took a complete 180 as he turned to yell back into the shop. Moments after the yell, a group of four men came waddling out of the broken window. Their arms were full of various dust containers while they piled onto the sidewalk.

"We got more places to hit tonight. I don't need you all slowing us down." The man's statement was met with a chorus of 'yes sirs' from the group. His smile returned to him at their answer before he began to look around at the pedestrian in front of him.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The man shouted while taking a long step toward their still forms. He allowed his cane to spin for several more revolutions before catching it with his palm. With it stopped, he took a wide sweeping gaze over his audience. His smile grew with each passing face before he opened his mouth to speak once more.

"You've stumbled upon a rather nasty case of wrong place, wrong time." The man then proceeded to raise the end of his cane at an unsuspecting couple. The lid of the weapon popped open, revealing its violet reticle. Before the duo could react to the object's sudden transformation, the man pressed down on the hidden trigger of the cane. The loud screaming of the unharmed pedestrians was drowned out by the droning whine of the weapon as it flashed out of the man's cane in a blaze. The projectile slammed into them both, lifting them high off of their feet while carrying them across the street. Their journey came to an unfortunate end as their backs met the wall of the opposing building. The impact was less than pleasant, their bodies making a loud smack on impact before they collapsed to the ground in an unmoving heap.

"They went flying." The man said while he raised the barrel of his weapon to his lips. He blew softly at the smoke emitting from the hole, dispersing it in an instant. The smile never dropped from his face, even as he began to swing his cane once more.

"Let's move it, boys! Move it, move it, mov-" The man cut himself off when the sound of pounding feet reached his ears. He turned toward the sound, managing to catch a glimpse of gold he was forced to heave up a glob of spit, bile, and blood when a fist slammed into his stomach. A strangled scream formed in his throat but it would never leave as another fist slammed into the bottom of his chin, sending him stumbling back. His stumble lasted for several meters before he collapsed ass first onto the sidewalk.

"What the devil." The man muttered to himself while he rubbed at his jaw. He looked up at where he was once standing only to catch sight of Yang running full speed at him. His eyes made a quick cut toward his henchmen before refocusing on the approaching girl.

"Don't just stand there. Stop her!" The man screamed before raising his cane at the girl and taking a shot at her. The projectile left his cane with a loud screech before making its way toward Yang. The girl did not stop in her advance at the sight of the flaming missile. Instead, she slid down onto her knees, allowing the missile to pass high over her head. The man let out a curse at the sight of this before he scrambled up to his feet and took off running in the opposite direction.

"Oh no, you don't." Yang said to herself while jumping back up to her feet. She readied herself to leap after the fleeing man but was stopped when a dust cartridge landed in her path. Before she could move out of the way, the dust exploded, sending her flying backward. She managed to land on her feet several feet away albeit with the front of her clothing now charred.

Before Yang could think to continue her pursuit, she felt a blunt object slam into the back of her head. She ignored the dull pain resulting from the hit in favor for turning away to face her aggressor. The sight of a man in an all-black suit wearing a pair of sunglasses and wielding a baseball bat greeted her. The man had his arm pulled back in preparation for another hit when she turned. With her facing him, he sent the bat flying toward her head. Unlike before, the weapon didn't reach it target as Yang raised her hand up, catching the metal bat in her palm. She then pulled hard on it, tearing it from his grip.

"Oh no." The man muttered to himself as he watched the girl wind up with the bat. He attempted to duck beneath the swing but found his movements to be too slow. The bat slammed into his ribs, lifting him off of his and sending him flying into the street. Yang didn't pay the man any attention past that as she turned to face the remaining three henchmen.

"I could use more stress relief." Yang thought to herself while raising the bat above her head. The three men began to run toward her, their stolen dust long abandoned. They would soon realize how large of a mistake they had made when the bat in the girl's hands came flying through the air, end over end, before slamming into the forehead of the leading man. The male went down in an instant with the bat falling on his unconscious body. His fellow men took only a brief glance at their fallen comrade before continuing their way toward Yang.

The blonde didn't wait for them to get to her. Instead, she met the two in the middle. She was the one to unleash the first hit, a simple jab aimed at chest level. The targeted man managed to block the blow with his bat. His partner preyed on the girl's distraction and sent his own bat screeching toward her outstretched arm. Yang gave a slight retraction of her arm, allowing the bat to slam against her gauntlet instead of her bare skin. The hit jarred her fist a bit but once again she ignored the pain in favor of the fight. She shifted her weight backward before raising her right leg and slamming it against the pelvis of the closest henchmen. The kick drove the air out of the man, leaving him gasping for air while he stumbled down onto his knees.

At the sight of his incapacitated partner, the remaining man attempted to emulate the girl, raising his own bat above his head before sending it flying toward the girl. Unlike his partner, the girl ducked her head down, letting the weapon go above her head. Now weaponless, the man was defenseless when Yang sprinted the distance separating the two with her fist raised. He crossed his arms in front of his body in preparation for the inevitable blow. His attempts at a defense were soon proven useless when Yang's fist plowed through his arms, sending him flying backward through the air. His journey came to a rough end when he landed several meters away, unmoving like his comrades.

"Easy work." The girl mumbled to herself before the sound of soft gasps reached her ears. She turned and saw the man she kicked in the stomach still conscious, still down on his knees. She made a quick trip over to him, her every step echoed by a gasp from the henchmen. His eyes met with her's for a brief moment before the side of her feet slammed into his head, releasing him of his consciousness.

"That bastard got away." Yang muttered to herself while looking in the direction that the orange-haired man had fled in. When she saw the man shoot the innocent couple, a rage had swelled up within her. She wanted nothing more than to cave his face end with her gauntlet. It looked like she would have to wait for a bit to get the chance to do so.

"Young lady…" She turned her head toward the sound of the voice to see an old man staring at her from the remains of the broken window. The man took a quick glance at the unconscious bodies of the men on the sidewalk and street before returning his attention to Yang.

"I was the one these men robbed. Thanks to you, some of my product was saved. Feel free to take some if you need it." A smile erupted onto her face at the sound of his words. She took off running toward the forgotten pile of dust, any thoughts of her previous fight now gone in her mind.

"Who needs dad? Kicking ass pays well enough."

* * *

 _ **AN: There goes another chapter! Thank you all for reading! I appreciate the success of the fic. Please review or PM me with any questions, concerns, comments, suggestions, etc. Have a good rest of the day.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**What is your purpose?**

 **It is what you will.**

 **What is your purpose?**

 **Is it what you want.**

 **What is your purpose?**

 **It is what you make it.**

"My purpose is to get one night of sleep without any weird dreams."

Another night of sleep filled with the strange whispers with no sources. He should have grown accustomed to it by now.

He pushed himself out of his resting place, a small dirt-filled hovel, with a low groan. He would never get used to sleeping on the ground. The slight protest in his limbs while he stretched reminded him of dirt and snow's cruel and unforgiving nature.

" _Maybe that's my purpose. Finding an actual bed to sleep in_."

The words slipped out of his dry mouth followed by a chuckle. A bed was a luxury he wouldn't be enjoying any time soon. At least as long as he was on this mission.

He sighed at that thought. His mother hadn't made this easy for him. Though, when had she ever done that? This was about on par for the behavior of the enigmatic Raven Branwen.

"Gotta love her." He chuckled once more before giving his body a wild shake. In his little hole, he had some type of protection from the cold. Out in the open woods, that protection did not follow. And the torn bits of his shirt and cloak weren't helping him in his endeavor to stay warm.

"The sooner I finish this the sooner I can get back to sleeping on warm dirt."

A small smile sprung up on his for a brief moment at the words before he began running. He had a bit of a journey until he reached his target. The miles of trees, gray skies and snow covered ground would serve as a nice background to his journey.

At the speed which he was traveling, the twenty hike had been cut down to a simple twenty-minute sprint. He came bursting head first out of the woods in a blur of black and gold before skidding to a stop. His breaths came to him in short gasps as he looked over the city that sat below him.

In his best description of the city, Naruto decided that Atlas would be best described as a bright light in the middle of a landscape of darkness. To say that the city stood out amongst the bleak land of Solitas would be an understatement. During his run, he had been able to spot the bright lights coming from the city. Now still, several miles from the city's border, it glowed like the sun.

" _I wish I had something like a sniper. It would make this so much easier_."

Maybe he would find something interesting while he made his way through the city. His hand trailed over his mother's sword at the thought. He loved the weapon but it was not his own.

One day he would be returning the sword.

"Today is not that day." Those were his final words before he pushed down his mask and pushed forward. He had only a few more miles to cover yet this leg of the journey would undoubtedly take much longer than the first. With the defenses Atlas had set up, making it to and through the city border without being seen would be hell.

What else was new?

* * *

"You're such an idiot."

"Am not!"

"Yes you are, Ruby."

"Am not."

"Yes you are."

"Am not!"

Why was having a sibling so difficult? Yang had to wonder that to herself while she dragged a tired hand over her face. The brief time she had away from the girl had been heaven. Now in their first reunion, her sister had managed to worry and piss her off in one stroke.

"Uncle Qrow told dad what you did. You can't be mad at me for doing the exact same thing that you did."

She wanted to strangle that drunkard. Of course, the one time he wanted to act like a responsible adult it would mess with her. The next time she saw that man she was going to happily punch him back into sobriety.

"If you do that then you're a hypocrite."

"It's not being a hypocrite, it's being smart!" Yang barked out at the younger girl. "I wasn't in any danger. I could've handled myself. Those people were known criminals. You almost got blasted off a roof! You could've gotten hurt."

"Nuh-uh." There were very few times that Yang got so angry that she wanted to punch her little sister in her cute, pudgy face.

This was one of those times.

"Listen here, you little br-"

"I'm not some little girl anymore, Yang." Ruby shouted, silencing the older girl. "I've grown up. I've learned, I've trained and I'm ready. You always said that you were ready to set out in the world, right? Well, so am I!"

She hated what Qrow had done to the girl. She remembered the days when Ruby was afraid of her own shadow. Then that drunk shell of a man came through shaking his scythe like a madman and the young, impressionable girl so happened to be watching. Now she was swinging around that giant hunk of metal she called a weapon and back talking her older sister.

"And I'm not going home. So, we can help each other or you can keep calling me an idiot."

When did her idiotic little sister stop talking like she was an idiot? The blonde couldn't help but sigh at the question. She had been wrapped up in her own matters that she had missed out on Ruby growing up. Now the results sat directly in front of her in the form of a stubborn and incessant teenage girl.

"Fine." She knew this was a decision that was going to bite her in the ass. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't deny her little sister.

Family was everything to her, after all.

* * *

"The things I do for family."

The thought came to him while he stood waist deep in a mix of liquid and solid sewage, his arms holding him up from slipping any further down. Covering his blond hair was his tattered cloak which remained held together by his sword.

He wanted to plug his nose so badly yet the fear of him slipping down into the filth kept him still. He would endure the smell for now. The last thing he needed was for all of his body to smell like trash for weeks.

With that thought, he pushed forward. It was a slow journey, one filled with constant fear of getting soaked. The slippery walls of the sewer didn't make his endeavor easy on him.

The random spouts of liquid was just a slap to his face.

His journey came to somewhat of a climatic end with him almost falling into the semi-caustic river of liquid. Luckily, he managed to grab onto an adjacent ladder to pull himself out of the sewage. The bottom half of his body was caked in the black filth and waste of the Schnee Dust Company while his top half remained mostly untouched. He looked down at his dirtied pants before sighing while moving the sword to his teeth. He bit down on its sheath while ascending up the rusted ladder.

"The things I do for family."

* * *

"You're up rather late."

Yang didn't get frightened easily. After living in a cabin that seemed to attract erratic strangers and grim alike, she had grown somewhat of a thick skin to common fights. This tolerance didn't stop her from yelling and jumping at the voice coming from behind her.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people, old creep." The glare she sent the man was ignored as he laughed. Her anger was forced away as the sound of his joy carried through the air.

"It's also not nice to break rules before you're officially accepted into the school. I thought I made it clear that students were supposed to stay in the specified areas."

The gravity of the man's words and the situation she had found herself in settled upon Yang's shoulder. Here she was, caught red-handed breaking the rules by the headmaster of the school she was trying to get into.

And, she just called him an old creep.

"You're aren't the most tact. Though, what else should I expect from Taiyang's daughter?"

He knew her father. That was it. She was done for. Her father was going to literally tear her apart. With Qrow's input and now this, she was screwed.

"L-look, I'm sorry. I'll head back right n-" Her words died in her mouth when the man raised his cane into the air. Her heart sunk into her chest at the sight. With the raising of that cane, her career as a huntsman was going to end before it even began.

"There's no need to apologize." The man started while setting down his cane. He raised his free hand up to his lips to reveal a mug with the symbol of beacon printed on it. He took a long sip from the mug before pulling it away from his lips with a content sigh.

"I had to deal with much worse when your father was in school."

That made Yang raise an eyebrow. Her father could be a bit rambunctious around the house but she never took him for the troublemaking type.

"Really? Was he that bad?" The words flew out of her mouth with unhidden excitement. Any opportunity to learn more about her father was an opportunity she would be glad to take.

"Oh yes. Him and your uncle were a pair of nuisances in the past."

Her eyes lit up at his words. The perfect opportunity to get back at her uncle, and possibly build a good enough case against her dad, had fallen right in her lap.

And she definitely planned on taking on it.

"Please tell me more, Professor."

"Call me Oz. That's what most of your family members tend to do."

* * *

"Inform father that I have retreated to my room for the day."

He didn't bother waiting for a response from the Schnee servant before closing the door to his room. He stripped himself of his vest, throwing the article of clothing onto his pristine bed while he made his way to the sole desk in the room.

"I should've asked for a refreshment first." He grunted out as he loosened his tie. "I'll ring for some later."

His descent into the seat of his desk was not a pleasant one. He flopped into the chair, shaking the desk and the floor beneath him on impact. He let loose a loud sound while pushing his chair in a circle with his leg. After a few revolutions, he came to a stop facing the desk. He paused for a brief moment before reaching out and grabbing at a stack of papers on his desk.

"This world is filled with nothing but savages and barbarians." The boy muttered to himself while reaching over to grab a pen. His hand would never make it there. He stopped himself before he could pick up the object. His face sat scrunched in a disgusted mask while his hand hovered over the pen.

" _What is that horrid smell_?" He thought as his mouth scrunched up to his nose. The smell of raw sewage hit him like a truck. It was overpowering and ultimately distracting.

He couldn't work in these conditions.

"When I find the person that caused this…" He mumbled to himself while rising up to his feet and turning toward the door. He was stopped in his tracks when he took notice of the figure in his room.

It was obvious to the boy that the person he was staring at was the source of the horrid smell in his room. The dripping water from the figure's black pants gave him a hint to just what was the origin of the smell. The tattered black cloak hanging off its upper body made for an intimidating sight. The jagged mask obscuring the intruder's face only made it worse.

"I would've never thought that the White Fang would lower themselves to petty intimidation tactics against my family like this."

The figure didn't respond. At least, not verbally. Instead, it reached for the sword at its side, causing the white-haired boy to tense up.

"You're are surrounded by at least a hundred Atlesian soldiers in this building alone. Do not be stupid."

This man was going to kill him. He hoped his words would dissuade the masked man. When he heard the soft click of a gun go off, he knew he was failing.

"Leave now. This is your last chance to get away with no consequences."

For once in his life, he cursed himself for not taking any self-defense lesson while he inched toward his desk. His father had been so adamant on him learning but he refused. Not even his family's glyphs would help him at the moment. The alarm and gun hidden in the drawer of his desk were his only hope.

"I will not report you. You have my word as a Schnee. Simply lea-"

Whitley Schnee would never be able to finish that statement because at the moment the figure struck. The boy was defenseless, utterly powerless when the orange blade flew across his vision. His last sight would be the glowing red eyes of his murderer's eyes before death overcame him.

"For the family."

* * *

 **AN: Well, there goes another chapter. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Review or PM me with any questions, concerns, comments, etc. A lot of stuff happened this chapter so feel free to question.**

 **Enjoy the rest of your day! Peace!**


	8. Chapter 8

"He was my child, James. Murdered in my own home."

In the dozen or so years that he had known the man, James had never seen the man cry. Any tears built up in the man was frozen solid by his cold interior before they could leak onto the surface.

Today was different. Tears streaked down the Schnee's face freely while he sat. His blue eyes sat behind a burning layer of red brought upon by hours of attempting to stifle tears. The man's immaculate white jacket laid in the corner of the office. Specks of red could be seen on the jacket's exterior.

"I do not understand the loss of the child but I promise-" The general's words came to a halt when a loud slap echoed through the room. Jacques was now standing, his palms face down upon his desk.

"Promise what, James? Promise you'll fix It? Just like how you promise to protect the citizen of Atlas?"

That comment stung. It didn't strike against any affection he felt toward the man; He had learned long ago that Jacques loved no one unless they carried his family name. No, it struck at his pride as a general, someone who had sworn to protect the innocent of Remnant.

"I promise that we will investigate and prosecute whoever did this."

"I know exactly who did this, James."

This is why he had come here personally. He knew where Jacques would want to place the blame. The man's choice would bring more suffering to Remnant's Faunus population.

He did not need a fifth of the world's population fighting with the country's largest dust company.

"Looks are looks, Jacques. Let us do our investigation so we can be sure."

"No." Jacques' voice came off as a soft whisper while he sat down in his seat. His body sagged in the black leather of the chair as his eyes met with Ironwood's. "You and your men are not allowed in my home."

"Do not be unreasonable." The general took a single step toward the man's desk.

"I am not being unreasonable. There will be no investigation. Your men will not intrude in my home during this time of mourning."

"Jacqu-" He took another step forward but froze once more when Jacques stood from his seat.

"Leave my office, James." The strength had returned to the Schnee's voice. The weak whisper he had been speaking in moments ago had evolved into a guttural roar.

James bowed his head. With his attention focused on the floor, he was able to see the beginnings of a glyph glowing beneath his feet.

"The Schnee Company will handle this internally. Your services are no longer required."

Jacques lowered himself down into the seat and the glyph disappeared from sight. James raised his head and met eyes with the Schnee yet again. Nothing was said between the two men for several moments before the general turned his back to the man, breaking eye contact. In several swift strides, he was at the office's entrance. His hand reached out and grasped the golden knob of the door before he paused. The general gave a brief glance back at Jacques. One last look was shared between the two men before James pulled the door open and walked out of the room, leaving Jacques alone in its dark interior.

* * *

"Confirmed reports are coming in from Atlas. Whitley Schnee, the only son of Jacques and potential heir to the Schnee Company, has been reported dead at the hands of the White Fang terrorist group."

The people around her erupted into a frenzy. The media had been teasing the story for hours, ever since the Schnee estate went on lock down. Cameras hovered around the Schnee estate and reporters crowded at the gates. Soldiers had to be called in to maintain some level of order while everyone tried to figure out what had happened to the Schnees. A similar scene was unfolding here.

She was amongst the chaos. She was an unfeeling and immovable pillar in the sea of writhing students. While they searched for answers in each other, her eyes stood still on the monitor.

She was one of the privileged few to know of Whitley's death beforehand. Her own brother, dead at the hands of a Faunus assassin.

Her eyes traveled over the faces in the crowd, stopping only on the faces of the Faunus. Their faces matched the rest of the crowd yet the feeling they invoked in her was much different. She felt anger at the sight. What right did they have to be fearful? What gave them the right to panic when it was their kind who caused this?

"Isn't that Weiss Schnee over there?"

The erupting whispers brought her out of her rage. She could feel the attention of the room shift onto to her as more and more eyes looked over in her direction.

She didn't meet a single one. She couldn't risk it. The death of a family member was not an excuse to break composure. Under the face of terror, the Schnees had to be stronger than ever. Strong enough to withstand the loss of a family member.

Strong enough to defeat their enemies.

* * *

"You're being unreasonable, James."

Unreasonable. He had heard that word directed toward him so much in the past week that a small part of him was beginning to believe it. Was he in the wrong here? Did his eyes not see the full picture?

"I am not, Ozpin. I'm being logical."

At least, that's what he told himself. He had to. There were no other options at hand for him to play.

"You and I both know who is responsible for this."

"We may know but what about the public?"

A sigh slipped out of his mouth while he paused. Being a general had never been harder. At the beginning of his career, he would've never thought that protecting Remnant would become such a burden on his shoulders.

"How many citizens know of the Branwen clan?" The general started again. "How many people know of a single member or act committed by those beasts?"

He paused to cut his eyes toward the third occupant of the room. The haggard man hadn't moved from his spot against the wall at his walls, prompting the general to continue speaking.

"If I go the media and say that they were the ones responsible for the assassination without a single shred of evidence to back up my claims no one will believe me. The story about the White Fang is already out there. There's nothing I can do."

"So you choose to do nothing while the Faunus become even more targeted in Remnant."

That was the final straw for the general. He was fine with his colleagues questioning his decision. That was a natural part of leadership. What he couldn't deal with was the intent behind the questioning.

"You think I choose to stay and be idle. I have no choice!"

"You always have a choice, James. Always."

He turned away from the headmaster. The anger that he had managed to hold back for so long now sat bubbling beneath his surface. It willed him to curse the man out, to throw him and physically show him just how wrong he was.

"Sometimes life leaves us with no choice."

His job demanded more from him. It demanded a level of control most couldn't muster. Sometimes, it required him to turn his back and walk out without saying a word.

"He's delusional."

"I'm sure he thinks the same of your clan."

"He would be right, too."

It hurt for him to say but it was true. His sister had proven herself to be ruthless. A murder was not something that laid outside of her repertoire. But the direct assassination of a child? Up until today, he thought she was above that.

"I'm going to go speak with my sister."

"Are you sure that's wise? Your emotional state could make the interaction slightly strained."

The words flowed out of the headmaster's mouth before he cut his eyes over toward Qrow, or at least where he thought the man was. Instead of the man leaned against the wall, his eyes were greeted with the sight of a vacant wall and an open window. He sat staring at the open window for several silent moments before a sigh left his mouth.

"How did such a complicated family of people get stuck with such power and responsibility?"

* * *

No fighting. No responsibility. This was the life.

A sigh slipped out of his mouth. Most people wouldn't find the sensation of bark against their bareback relaxing. Most people wouldn't crawl through miles of sewer at the request of their mom.

He wasn't most people.

His clothing hung on a tree branch several feet away. The only thing protecting the boy's modesty was a pair of black briefs, briefs that had been stolen from some unknowing civilian.

With his clothing gone, the boy's full exterior was on display. Despite the smile tugging at his lips, the blemishes on his body spoke a much different story. The tiny knicks, the long scars, the trailing black marks; Each mark outlined a youth filled with struggle and hardship.

You couldn't tell Naruto that his childhood was a hard one. To the boy, his life was one surrounded by family. Training exercises were bonding experiences and scars were permanent memories. The life of a Branwen, even for a child, wasn't a lax one but not a single member of that family would ever disavow it.

"A break is nice every once in awhile."

He leaned further back into the bark of the tree. His eyes remained closed in a sense of relaxed resignation. He wasn't worried about anything that was going on in the world around him. Life was all about this simple moment. This moment was a moment a peace, a period of time where the chaos of his life could be forgotten for the simple things in life like the steady fall of rain, the harmonious call of the native birds, the fading rays of the afternoon sun-aspects of nature he couldn't enjoy under the Branwen Mask. Without the disguise, he was at peace. The world was at peace with him.

That was until the hoot of an owl ruined it all.

He didn't immediately look over at the animal. He had enough experience with the creature to know it's exact features without even looking at it. As a child, he had glared defiantly into the owl's golden irises. He had coveted the feel of plucking a snow white feather from its unruffled form. He had learned to fear the sting and bite of the sharp talons against his skin.

"Raphael."

The name slipped out of his mouth in an exhausted drawl while he shifted his body to face the owl. Just as he imagined, the creature's golden eyes were aimed at him. They sat unblinking and fierce as the creature sat silent among the branches of a tree that sat adjacent to the one he laid against.

"You always manage to find me."

The owl didn't respond. He knew it wouldn't. It never did. It was a part of their ritual, a relationship established by a tenacious yet stupid child and his silent onlooker.

"Is it time already? It's barely been a couple of days."

A little bit of a childish whining seeped into his voice. A small part of him hoped that he would be able to gain a small entry into the owl's cold heart and prolong his short vacation. From the creature that sat atop of his doorway for the first ten years of his life, his hope was rather high.

That was until the owl blinked. It was then that there was no convincing the animal.

"Fine, you bastard. You and her are horrible."

It was only after he began to climb up to his feet did the Owl finally react. It released a muted hoot before releasing its wings behind it. Naruto managed to gain a glimpse of the dark gray underside of the creature's wings before it leapt off of the branch and into the air.

"Both of them are slave drivers." At the sound of his words, the Owl released a loud screech that managed to reach the boy despite the hundred foot difference between the two. The blond rolled his eyes in reply. The owl's screech was nothing compared to the stab of the creature's claws entering his forearm.

He could handle a bit of screeching.

"Like mom said, Branwens can't stay grounded for too long."

Grounded he would not remain. A moment after the thought ran through his head, he leapt into the trees. His feet wouldn't reunite with the ground for another four hours as he pushed himself westward. Snow turned into water and water eventually faded into long tracts of flat land. That land would serve as the backdrop of his journey for several seconds before the ground beneath his feet turned golden. It was only thing that he allowed himself a full rest.

Rest would be needed for this mission.

* * *

"Yang."

Oh boy. She never thought the sound of her name could sound so terrifying yet coming out of the Schnee's mouth, it fit just that.

The girl had been useless as a teammate for the past week. She still woke up in the morning, she still took thirty minutes to groom herself, she still went the class yet past that, Weiss had shut down. Her teammates hadn't heard a single word leave her mouth since the news broke.

Not one of them blamed her, especially her and Ruby. The loss of a family member was an ordeal she wouldn't wish on anyone. As a girl who had lost her mother twice, she could understand.

She could also understand the thoughts flying through Weiss' head. Anger, grief, frustration; All emotions that had bottled up without a single source of relief for days.

Until now.

"How did you react when your mother died?"

That had been unexpected. She didn't remember ever telling Weiss about Summer. Plus, Ruby hated talking about the woman's death. She doubted seriously that the Weiss would have been able to get the girl to cough up the information.

"I did some snooping when I learned who was on my team."

Well, that answered her question. It wasn't an answer she particularly enjoyed but it would have to do. Now, she supposed, it was time to answer Weiss' question.

"I was really young when it happened." The blonde started off while sending short glances in her teammate's direction. "I remember being confused for awhile. One day she was here and the next, she was gone."

The coincidence surrounding her words was not lost to her. She had meant to only talk about Summer yet her words also applied to her actual mother. They had both been present in her life at one point, loving and caring as all mothers should be. Then the next day, they were gone, both leaving without a single goodbye while the former of the two left her with a sword.

"Whitley wasn't anything like a mother to me."

The Schnee's voice cut through the silence that had settled over the room. Yang sent another glance her way and saw that the girl was now facing her with her rapier in her lap.

"We never really liked each other. We were more like acquaintances than siblings. Our relationship was one bit on tolerance."

She pauses to glance down at her lap. Yang kept her mouth shut during the silence. This wasn't the time for her to be talking. It was time for her to play the part of a listener.

"But he was still my family. My father always taught me that family should be held in the highest regards. They killed a member of my family in cold blood and now they could be coming after me. My father fears for my safety."

The reality of her team falling apart before they could even venture onto their first mission was beginning to come more and more clear to Yang. The chances were becoming all too real to the girl and she moved to try to stop them but was interrupted when Weiss began to speak again.

"I told him no. Amongst many things, my father taught me to never back down from our enemies. My enemies have played their hand and I refuse to falter."

"I don't know why I'm telling you this." Weiss rose off her bed while she spoke. Her hand never left her weapon even as she began to move toward the door.

"I suppose this a way for me to vent. Or, I am trying to forewarn you." She paused to face her silent teammate.

"My father's enemies will be coming for me. Just like them, I do not plan on negotiation. When the time comes, I will use every ounce of my power to defend the Schnee name. I hope you and the rest of the team will understand that."

With those parting words, the girl opened the door and walked out of the room. The door clicked shut softly behind her, leaving Yang alone in the room.

"Why is my team the one with so many issues?"

* * *

 **AN: Another chapter done. More to come eventually. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Review or PM me with any questions, concerns, suggestions, etc. Have a wonderful rest of the day.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Boy, you have never experienced love, have you?"

He raised his head from the bowl of broth before cutting his eyes at the owner of the voice. The knowledge of what awaited him made that action a lot more difficult than it usually was.

The woman was drunk. If the bittersweet aroma pouring out of her mouth and invading his nostrils wasn't enough of an indicator, her disheveled appearance made up for it. The Auburn tresses of hair that he was sure looked put together at the beginning of the night were strewn about her head. Her cerulean eyes were unfocused and half opened as she leaned against the counter next to him.

"Love! Love. Love~"

He hated drunks.

Naruto closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. The small whiff of the woman's liquor breath manage to get caught in his breathing but he managed to push past it.

He hated drunks. There was no denying that. They represented everything his mother had taught him not to be. Sloppy, uncontrolled and overindulgent. Being drunk meant being dead.

"I can't blame her, though."

His upbringing demanded he do so but he honestly couldn't bring himself to. He had no doubt that if he were surrounded by the mundane desert he found himself in now for years, he would drink himself into a stupor just to survive the day.

"I BET you don't know a thing about love, boy."

The breath left him in an audible huff. The idea of ignoring the woman was tempting but he had an idea that she wouldn't go away if he did. Leaving his seat was not an option considering he still had half a bowl full of noodles left and he refused to waste food.

"I know what love is."

He would humor her. Maybe he would also be humored despite the drunken haze that fell over the woman.

"What you know about love besides your mommy tucking you in a night?"

He turned to face the woman again. It was hard to look past her slovenly appearance and the drunkenness that reeked from her but he managed to do just that to look her in the eye.

"Love is pain and loyalty."

That laugh that greeted his words did not amuse him. The woman felt the complete opposite, her laughter managing to fill the immediate area. Anger flashed through his body, briefly clutching at his heart. Her animated laughter made the feeling sustain for a few seconds longer than he would have admitted.

"Teenage dramatics." The woman let out a snort before slamming her palm down onto the bar, sending her own half-empty drinks and Naruto's bowl jittering.

"You read that up in some teenage author's self-published novella?"

Her response was as expected. For some reason, he had thought he would be able to have a sensible conversation with a drunk. A sigh fell from his lips as he turned to face his bowl of now lukewarm broth and noodles. He managed to get in two full spoonfuls of the tasty treat before he was interrupted.

"Did I hit a nerve? Too hurt to answer?"

God, she was annoying. He had no idea how quickly he would go to wishing for the return of the mundane sensation that the desert had offered. A billion grains of sand - as coarse and rough as they were - would have felt better going through his ears than the woman's words.

"You don't know real love 'till it's fucked you in your own bed and left you before you could even wake up the next morning."

And just like that, all the annoying energy that surrounded the drunk left. One moment her mouth was inches away from his face, reeking the scent of alcohol past her dry lips, and the next she was cheek first against the oak bar. Tears streamed down on her and onto the bar as sniffles shook her body.

"Like I said, pain and loyalty."

He watched as he moved her attention from her tear-made expanding puddle to him. The pitiful look in her brown eyes made him sympathize with her for a moment. She was hurt and it looked like she was going to be hurting for awhile.

"You don't know love until you get stabbed in the heart." He rose up from his seat. The remnants of what sat in his bowl seemed no longer important to him. His eyes cut to what was important, the woman laid across the bar. They locked eyes through the thin veil of tears that covered her own.

"When you get stabbed, you know real pain. And, if you decide to come crawling back, that's when you know you're really in love."

His exit after those words was swift. He didn't give the woman any time to rebut. There was no need to hear a response for her. Anything that would come after would be pointless. The words of a drunk would not be able to sway.

You couldn't convince him otherwise.

* * *

"Do you love, Ruby?"

There it was again. Out of nowhere, another question from the silent Schnee.

Yang shook her head. She should have been used to this by now. This had been her life for the past week. She had no idea when the transition had taken place but she had turned into the Schnee's personal question punching bag. Whenever the two were alone, there would undoubtedly be a question heading her way.

"Yeah, I do."

Unlike before, she didn't hesitate much. This question was a bit of a softball compared to the usual batch Weiss had been sending her way. She didn't consider herself much of a philosopher so it made thing much more difficult for her when the Schnee decided to question the various meanings of life.

"How does that love feel?"

Her first response was to question what the hell the Schnee meant by that. Anyone that ever had to deal with love knew that attempting to describe it in words would only lead to frustration. Unfortunately, the sympathetic side of Yang was on display today and the recent death of the Schnee's brother tugged at the girl's heart.

"Well..."

Silence permeated the room for several seconds. Then came a headache. God, why did it have to be so difficult? It was a simple emotion!

Who was she kidding? She was more simple than she looked if she thought love was a simple emotion. A quick shake of her head wiped that idea from her head. Love was never going to be simple so her reply couldn't be simple.

"It's like gold."

She started off, and as cliche as it sounded in her ears, she liked it enough to continue.

"It's the feeling of a summer day. It's warm to the touch and you feel like it would keep you warm through the night."

"It's like having no worries. No matter how bad things get. Even if the stars begin to fall or the moon crumbles or even the light disappears from the sky, Love will make everything better."

Summer wasn't here anymore and with how things were going nowadays, if felt like winter had come but that didn't stop her memories of the woman from lighting a smile on her face. Ruby took after her so much even if the girl would never admit it.

"I wish I felt that way around Whitley."

The smile nearly fell from her face but managed to find hold as an idea popped into her head. She shifted on her bed, hesitation keeping the idea at bay for the slightest of moments before it leapt from her mouth.

"You have a sister, don't ya? What about her?

The look on Weiss' face told her immediately that her idea may not have been as great as she thought it had been when it popped in her head.

"Winter is different. My relationship with her is … difficult."

* * *

"Damn It, Winter. I demand it!"

A bitter fury swept over her. The Schnee household had always been encompassed by cold blizzard with her father's office being the origin. She hated going into that room as a child and thanked the gods above that she didn't have to now.

The redness of his eyes, the slight wrinkle in his clothing, his unkempt facial hair; they all spelled one thing to the stoic Schnee. The man that appeared on the monitor before her was tired. It was a state she rarely, If ever, saw come over him. Her father prided himself on his composure, a feature he had passed onto her much to his current chagrin.

"Like I told you the day I joined the military, I do not settle for your demands anymore, Father." The hundreds of miles separating her from him kept her confident. Years ago, she wouldn't have been able to have this meeting and certainly not face to face.

"Have you no empathy? Your brother is dead." His words leaped from the speakers around her and slammed into her form. They were filled with a bitterness, one reminiscent of an Atlesian winter wind. But like a spruce, she remained strong. The inner rings of her mind had been trained and weathered by the man in front of her.

"Whitley's death is tragic and I can't imagine what impact it will have on our family's ima-"

An explosion went off, one fueled by pride and rage. The camera shook and the her father's world through her eyes became a blur. A huff, one filled with anger, followed as the world straightened out, revealing a frame filled with her father's visage.

"Your true colors are showing, Winter. I see where your loyalty lies."

Far worse had been thrown at her during her training but hearing that insult come from her father struck at a part of Winter that had been untouched. She felt one of her eyes quake from the blow but nothing more. Even her father's words couldn't cut too deep into the tough facade she had built up.

"You're no longer part of my family. Consider yourself disowned."

Without a word in response, her finger reached up and shut the call off, plunging the already shaded room into nearly complete darkness and leaving her in silence.

A Schnee no more. She sighed. She knew the day when that would become a reality would come and when she heard of Whitley's death she knew the day was fast approaching.

Her father sunk a lot into Whitley. Make no mistake, she knew that way he brother turned out was no fault of his own. A lot of his time, his affection, his effort and his money was put toward making him that way. He was Jacques' true heir, the perfect replacement to the daughter who left the family for the military.

Whitley was gone and, with him, all of the time and effort her father invested in him. She knew that besides the death of his child, the waste of his resources were hurting her father nearly as bad.

But now, she was a Schnee no more. As cruel as it may have sounded, they were of no concern to her anymore. Her brother, her father and...

A knock at her door took her focus away from her father. She turned as the door to the room opened, revealing the armored form of one of Atlas' many soldiers.

"General Ironwood wishes to see you."

The man was banished from her room a moment later with a wave of her hand, leaving her alone again. A sigh leaped from her mouth as she placed her coat over her shoulder.

A Schnee no longer. The thought followed her as she moved toward the door. Out of all the privileges and stigmas, that name brought to her, only one stayed on her mind as she walked out of her room.

"Looks like you're on your own from now on, little sister."

* * *

When he embarked on this mission, he told himself he would do everything in his place to complete it. Everything but one thing: go through another sewer.

As he rode on the back of a camel-powered cart, thousands of grains of sand digging into the uncovered portion of his face while the oppressive heat made him feel like he had a goliath sat on top of his chest, he was beginning to think the sewers didn't seem to bad. Sure, the smell was atrocious but at least he could breathe down there.

His uncomfortable situation made him want to sigh but he had learned long ago that opening his mouth was only asking for trouble. The handful of sand that still sat in his lungs could attest to that.

So, he sat in silence. It was best he kept attention away from himself anyway though that task wasn't difficult at all when you're surrounded by chatty teenagers.

The gods themselves had gifted and cursed him at the same moment when he had stumbled upon the small caravan he was traveling with. Getting access to it had been easy; His appearance had been enough to do so.

"We're coming to a sudden stop, ya hear! Hold on to something."

That was all the warning him and the group received before the camels dug their heels into the shifting sands, bringing their cart to an almost immediate stop. He, along with nearly everyone else in the cart, were thrown into one another. A myriad of curses flew into the air as the group of students laid disoriented on the sand covered floor of the cart.

Naruto was among some of the first to collect to himself and his weapons. He rose with anger, his eyes narrowed at the back of the head of their driver. Annoyance pushed him to give the man a good whack on the head but he reigned in the emotion to observe their destination.

Shockingly, his new surroundings were not unique in any way. The same bland sand background that they had been traveling through was still present. To him, it seemed like they had stopped quite literally in the middle of the desert.

"Going down!"

At the sound of the man's voice, his hand snapped to the nearest hold out of a nearly embedded fear. Amongst the wind around him, his hearing managed to pick up the sound of a soft click. That sound was his warning to hold on just a bit tighter before the world around him went dark.

He had the vague sensation of being weightless for several moments before his vision returned to him. And, it returned with a slam, quite literally putting him back against the cart's floor. His annoyed growl was drowned out by the groans of his surrounding peers.

"Welcome to Shade Academy, the Oasis of Vacuo."

His growl got choked down to a soft rumble in his chest at the driver's words. Once more, he picked his head up from the cart, making sure to shake his hair of the seemingly omnipresent sand. It didn't take long at all to notice that his surroundings had changed.

The sand was still there and he had a feeling that was how it was going to be during his time here. But now, instead of miles of sand dunes, buildings now stood in his sight. Massive buildings, some reaching what he believed to be dozens of stories high, towered over him. A stone walk that stretched separated them from the span of buildings. The platform they sat on was small compared to its girth and length. A plethora of people could be seen on the other side of it, diving in and out of the buildings, conversing with each other and going about their day. And separating them from his group was a line of armed men and women.

"Okay, kids. Make sure your IDs are out and your weapons are inactive."

IDs? The sight of everyone around them digging into their pockets sent his heart into a panic. His weapon felt heavy against his side as he glanced between the driver and the line of guards separating him from his mission. His mouth started to dry while the students exited the cart one by one, their weapons deactivated and their IDs in hand.

"I may be in trouble."

* * *

 **AN: Oh? This story actually got an update? Yes, it certainly did. Yes, I will update it more. Yes, my DxD crossover will be updated soon. Yes, please have a good rest of the day. Yes, PM or review with any questions, concerns, comments, etc.**


	10. Chapter 10

Yang didn't consider herself as someone who had a complicated life.

Sure, her mother had abandoned her as a child and her father refused to divulge any information on the woman, leading her to spend the majority of her teenhood searching for the tiniest of scraps of information when it came to the woman.

But, that was not complicated.

Dealing with Weiss Schnee was complicated.

Children thought of themselves as being protected under the cover of their favorite blanket. Despite her current occupancy of her bed, she held no such illusion. She knew what sat on the other side of her wool barrier. Weiss Schnee's gaze awaited her. That had been the reality of her life for the past weeks and she knew that today was no different.

While her other roommates had managed to escape the girl's pensive stare under the guise of attending class, she had been rendered bedridden by a cold. She had managed to sleep the day away, effectively avoiding with nearly anyone but had woken up to an ice-cold stare from her teammate. The two had met eyes for a moment before she retreated back underneath her covers where she had stayed until now.

"I just wanna get out from under the blankets."

She felt like a kid again, hiding beneath the covers of her bed on a Saturday so she could avoid doing early morning chores. Instead of chores, she was now hiding from her princess roommate.

"I've come so far."

The sarcastic thought floated through her head for a brief moment before it was blasted out by the shrill sound of scroll ringing. It took all of her willpower not to jump up from her cover out of sheer instinct. Instead, she managed to restrict herself to a simple flinch while maintaining the illusion of being asleep.

"Yes?"

Relief flooded through Yang at the sound of her roommate's voice. She began to settle back into her body, actually resting now that she knew that her teammate's focus was definitely not on her.

"I see. I'm on my way."

From beneath her woolen cover, she heard the telltale creak of her teammate rising out of her bed. The wood floor of her room creaked beneath the girl's footsteps as she walked toward the bedroom's door. She counted the footsteps with baited breaths as their sound grew dimmer and dimmer. A sigh nearly slipped past her lips when she heard a rush of air accompany the sound of the door swinging open. A slight break in the sound kept her nerve's tilted on edge only for the sound of the lock clicking back into place to send her over.

"Finally."

The words resonated through the empty room while she wormed her head out of her covers. If anyone had been in the room, they would have been able to witness a rare instance of Yang's being disheveled. Her hair, the most prized part of her body, was a rat's nest of blond tresses. Her fair skin was now pallow, a sickly light shade that only served to accentuate the dark bags beneath her reddened eyes.

"Sleep here I come!"

Her head hit the pillow and her eyes closed in an instant later. In less than 5 minutes, she could feel the effects of sleep crashing down on her. The ambient noise of her room began to fade into an ignorable nothingness. The light drifting through the blinds of their bedroom window could not pierce the impenetrable barrier made up of her heavy eyelids. Her heartbeat, which had been reduced to a stuttery mess throughout the day because of a coughing fit, was now calm and steady.

She was ready to sleep.

That had been true until the ringing of her scroll started to ring. Her eyes were wrenched open against her will as the scroll's buzzing filled the room. With a palpable reluctance, her hand slithered its way out from underneath the covers before flopping down onto her scroll. She reeled her hand back in, bringing the scroll with it, before turning her head to look at the device. Her mood dropped another degree when she saw just who exactly was calling her.

"What do you want?" The words crawled their way out of her mouth in the form of a groan after she answered the scroll. Silence was her answer for a brief moment before a slight shuffling echoed through the device's speakers.

"Meet me in the library. Fifth floor, the table behind the fiction section."

She didn't have any time to refute the demand before the device's screen shut off, indicating that the person on the other side of the line hung up. Staring at her scroll's surface, a sigh left her mouth. With a kick of her feet, her covers were ejected off of her body and onto the dorm's floor. She slung herself onto her feet, flame pajamas and all, and shuffled her way over to the door. She pulled it open before making her way out of the dorm with a single thought in her mind.

"Why is my family so difficult?"

* * *

"Your ID?"

He wanted to run. He wanted to pull his sword out and slice at the man's outstretched arm. He had already worked it out in his head. It would take him no more than a second to draw his sword and rend the man's arm from the rest of his body. The cart driver would have to be next. A couple shots close ranged would most likely put the man down. Then, he would have to take cover behind the cart. The guards on the bridge would undoubtedly be taking aim at him. Depending on how fast the actual students managed to leave, they may have been firing at him at that point…

That's where his mind stopped. Where would he go from there? His chance of escape looked slimmer and slimmer with each passing second. He could feel his heartbeat spreading through his body as the reigns of calm began to slip out of his mind's grip.

"Did ya forget your ID?"

He felt his control of the situation slip away from him at the man's questioning. A hand was placed on his back before he was pushed toward the group of students who had already been checked.

"There's always a couple in the group. Get a replacement when you get to campus. And, unload that damn sword!"

Not one to turn away an obvious gift, he unholstered his sword and emptied the stolen dust cartridges stowed in its clip. He handed the ammo over to the man before taking his place amongst the group of milling students.

"I was one hundred percent unprepared for that. She would have had my head if she was here to see that."

His head wouldn't have cut if for her. Raven would have de-limbed him first then cut off his head. She had spent the better part of his childhood hammering in the necessity of being prepared for every situation and he had almost gone and thrown that all away in his zealousness.

"I'm getting mad at myself for her. God, she's in my head."

With a quick slap to his head, he momentarily ejected his self-reprimandation from his head. The act earned him a few curious looks from some of his 'fellow students', looks that went ignored. A few odd looks couldn't throw him off track now.

After a few minutes of waiting, the group was on their way with one of the armed men guiding them. Now that they were moving, they had fell into a collective hush as they observed the world around him. Naruto was right along with them, his eyes soaking up as much of his surroundings as possible in an attempt to gleam any signs of escape.

His observation was interrupted by a light tap on his back. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, meeting eyes with one of the students he was traveling with to Shade.

"Hey there, A little tense around here, don't ya think?"

As she spoke, he took the time to observe her. Her dusty rose colored hair was by far the most notable thing about her. It peaked out beneath a black beanie and covered bits of her face. The scarf and poofy jacket she was wearing through him for a loop, considering the heat they were currently wading through. He could spot what looked like the stock of a rifle peeking out from behind her back.

"Yeah, it is." That was his simple response as he turned to face forward once more. If he would have stayed looking for just a moment longer, he would've witnessed a childish pout overcome the girl's face. The pout remained for a brief second before it was replaced with a slight smile.

"So, what does your weapon do?"

From her position behind her, the girl wasn't able to see the agitated look overcome Naruto's face at her question. It was because of the blond's self-control that she would never see the agitation that had been etched on his face at that moment.

"It's just a regular sword. Nothing special."

He refused to hand over any information to this girl. No matter how innocent her intentions were, his position behind enemy lines made it quite clear to him that the more tight-lipped he was, the better. He had already gotten his one stroke of luck with the missing I.D. There was no need to push his luck any further.

"Awwh, really? You can't be serious."

He was forced to a stop when the redheaded girl appeared in his face. In a deft and seemingly practiced movement, the girl unhitched her weapon off of her back and allowed it to twirl across her shoulder. A slight hiss of air proceeded the weapon expanding in length nearly twice its original length. A miniature scope popped out from the weapon's head, completing its transformation into a functional sniper rifle.

"Even my plan ol' Bessy has a little sass to her. Everything's gotta have a little juice to it, y'know." The girl accentuated her statement by patting the stock of her sniper rifle. Naruto watched as the simple petting slowly morphed into a sort of glorified and slightly creepy massaging of the weapon's barrel.

"Uh, yeah. Not my sword." As swiftly as he could, he stepped around the girl and continued following after the rest of the group. He thought he had managed to escape the girl until he heard the pounding footsteps echo behind him.

"Why is this happening?" His canines bit deep into his bottom lip in an attempt to curb the reaction that so desperately wanted to leap out of his mouth. HIs training could only do so much to halt his natural feelings. He could feel the girl's breath on the back of his neck as he prepared to send another tirade of questions his way.

"Welcome to Shade Academy."

He expected the surprisingly husky voice of the girl to blast out from behind him. He did not expect the booming and seemingly omnipresent voice that rained out from the Heavens. In response, he jumped, a reaction that was shared by nearly every student around him. His hand flashed down toward the hilt of his weapon as his eyes darted around his surroundings.

"I speak to you as the headmaster of Shade Academy. If you are admitted to my school, you will address me as Professor Strawman. For those of you who fail to overcome to the hurdle placed in front of you, addressing me will be the least of your worries."

If he had been paying just a minute amount less of attention, he would have missed their armed guide/guard vanishing from sight. The man had been standing at attention, motionless and apathetic, as the man talked before his form faded away. It was a subtle transition that had most likely gone missed by all the students present.

"Woah, did you see that freakiness happen right there? He just disappeared!"

It seemed he wasn't the only student to notice. He craned his neck to stare to catch a glance at the same redhead from the before, gaping over his shoulder.

"Shade stands as the paragon of academies for future huntsmen. Some believe we rest in the shadows of some of the more prominent schools. I can assure you that there's is nothing true about that statement. Shade is the light that repels that beast of Grimm from this world."

The static-filled voice echoed throughout the area. The electronic filter placed over top of the speaker made his real voice unknown yet Naruto could, at times, catch a small glimpse of the owner's deep, baritone voice. It piqued his interest, considering information about the headmaster of Shade was limited. Even his mom, the queen of reconnaissance, was clueless when it came to the man.

"Because of the eliteness required to attend Shade, not all of you will make it to the graduating class. I predict only…" The teetered off into a silence. The silence lasted for a moment … then a moment more and then a moment after that. With no voice narrating their present, the students devolved into a crowd of rambling amongst themselves. Even Naruto was tempted to fall right in line with them, that was until the voice spoke up again.

"Half of you will move forward." The voice picked right where it left off as if it hadn't gone silent for nearly ten seconds. "In fact, I'm sure very few have you have noticed that the entrance examination had already begun."

The anxious chatter that had filled the air only moments before was now gone, and in its place was a dreadful silence. It was a silence that could only be produced by a group of hopeful students who believed that they were already failing their entrance exam.

It was a very telling silence.

"The objective of this exam is simple. There are several golden idols hidden around the city. Your job is to capture one, locate one of the hidden examiners within the city and turn it into them.. To be clear, there are enough idols for every student here. Though I must warn you, the citizens of Vacuo are not above stealing. Move quick or you may find yourself without a statue and a shot at being a huntsman of Vacuo."

The students didn't need any more prompting before they scattered. Some were successful in their attempts to move their way out of the crowd while the others' attempts were blocked by some of the less reactive of their peers. Unfortunately, the tension and anxiety-filled environment needed only a tiny spark to set it aflame and an accidental push served as more than enough of a spark. One push started a squabble which caused another collision which evolved into nearly a quarter of the students fighting amongst themselves in the middle of the street.

"Vacuo kids don't mess around, do they?" The redhead asked out loud to the blond she had been pestering as she watched the chaotic scene unfold in front of her. After several seconds where she received no answer, she turned to her right, expecting to see the blond doing his best impression of a brick wall. To her surprise, the boy was nowhere in sight.

"Ah, where he run off to?"

* * *

Winter Schnee was an anomaly even amongst the unique snowflakes that made up the Schnee family. That was among one of the many reasons why she was no longer attached to that family by anything but her name.

"I suppose I should get to changing that."

The hassle that the task would eventually bring her brought a sigh out of her lips. She had accounted for a lot when it came to defying her father and changing her last name and filling out new government documents was certainly not one of them.

Speaking with her sister had been. Her father had power. He had power because of his position as the lead of the Schnee Dust Company and he had power over Weiss as her father. Winter was well aware of the influence and sway that man had over her little sister. It was important that she spoke with her as soon as possible.

"I'm no longer shackled to my name."

A light breeze blew her thoughts out of her mind. There was a light chill in the air. Not cold enough to signify her namesakes' season but just enough to trails of her coat waving about behind her.

"Where is that girl?"

Her impatient thoughts were immediately met with the quiet tapping of footsteps behind her. The woman turned, facing her back to the ledge she had been staring off of, and met eyes with her little sister.

"Took you long enough."

That was all the older Schnee could get out before she was forced to brace herself against the impact of her sister running into her. Caught off guard for a brief moment, her shock was quickly subdued when she felt the girl quiver against her chest. Her usual reaction of harshness was quickly pushed aside as she wrapped her arms around her little sister.

"Oh, Weiss…"

* * *

"You're already drunk?" Even though her voice held a questioning tone, the words were meant as a statement. For the briefest of moments, when the man had called her and sounded coherent, she had hoped that they would have a conversation where his mind was impeded with alcohol. Now, staring down at his slouched form and the small flask sat on the tab, it seemed like she had hoped for a little too much.

"Did you expect otherwise?"

Qrow's head rose up with an unsteady stagger. It looked as if his head was too heavy for his neck to support as he swayed to and fro. The man looked as if he was about to completely topple over until a violent shake of his head set him steady.

"Didn't expect. Only hoped." She settled down in the seat across from her uncle. She was caught off guard when a plate of waffles were pushed in front of her a moment later.

"I figured with your sickness you haven't eaten much." The man offered up a shrug while pulling up his own plate of doughy goodness from beneath the table. Yang questioned the oddity of her uncle's actions for a brief moment before digging into the lukewarm waffles with gusto.

Her uncle may have been a drunkard that decided to randomly waltz in and out of her life but she could not claim that the man didn't care. Small gestures like the waffles she was currently devouring had cemented that fact to her years ago. He had been there to help teach her and Ruby how to defend themselves. He had been there to take care of them whenever their father fell ill. And, of course, he had been there to save her life when she had stupidly went searching for her mom.

Her uncle may have been a drunkard enigma but he was a drunkard enigma that cared.

"Wait.." The girl stopped halfway to shovelling another forkful of waffles into her mouth. She looked up from the mountain of dough to look at the sleepy-eyed Qrow. "How'd you know I was sick?"

"I keep tabs on you and your sister." The huntsman replied with a shrug before diving back into his plate. Yang looked at the man for a few moments before returning to her own plate. It wasn't worth questioning.

When it came to Qrow, it was never worth questioning.

"Kid, when you were first born, I was scared by how much you looked like your mom." After several minutes of peaceful silence, Qrow spat that out at his niece. The remaining bit of waffle she was about to consumed found their way back to her plate as her full attention shifted over to her uncle.

"You looked just like how she looked when she was a kid. I hoped to the gods you didn't act like her. She was a devil that never ran out of energy. I actually offered your father a couple of babysitting sessions out of pity for the man." The man stopped to take a sip out of his flask.

"And, boy, you were bad. Not as bad as Raven but still pretty bad."

"Hey!" Her indignant shout was met with a chuckle from the man. She wanted to pout but knew from experience that would have no effect on her uncle. If Ruby's pouts had no effect on him, she didn't stand a chance.

"It's the truth, kid. You got better, though. I'll give you that. Though, when your brother popped out, it really showed how much of a brat you were."

Qrow watched as all the mirth on the girl's face fell away. The reaction had been expected. He knew how the girl felt when it came to her mom and brother. Yet, this was a conversation that needed to be had. For the girl's sake, he needed to talk.

"Your mom came to me a lot when he was young. I wanted to ignore her. I knew that her intentions for the boy weren't any good but I couldn't just leave my nephew alone in her hands. That woman is as inept for a mother as you can possibly get." He chuckled to himself as a particular memory flashed through his head. An agitated Raven using her semblance to bring herself and a soiled and crying Naruto to him.

That had been a very interesting day.

"The boy was a saint. I don't know how considering the person who raised him but he was well-behaved, polite, a little mischievous, but overall a good kid." Qrow smiled as a memory of a young Naruto asking to use his scythe came to mind. "He was like Ruby in a lot of ways. Just a nice kid to be around."

"Everything was good until I tried to take the boy." Yang's face perked up at this. "I knew living with Raven for too long would damage the boy. I needed to get him away from her and those savages she lived around. So, one day, I took him. Right from under, Raven's nose too."

The man reached for his flask but stopped himself before he could reach it. His handed ended up slumped against the table while a sigh fell from his lips.

"I didn't get far. Your mom has an unique way of tracking me. Before I could even get out of the woods, she was on me. And, she was mad. I've never seen her as angry as I did that day. She fought angry, too. At times, I thought she was going to end up hurting your brother. In the end, that's what caused me to lose that fight."

He paused, and for the first time, Yang could palpable sadness stretched across her uncle's face. The man was usually a melancholy individual but this was the first time she could see sorrow written on his expression.

"After that day, I hadn't seen your brother until a few weeks ago." Yang's heart leapt up in her chest at the news that her brother was alive and well. "Raven finally let him loose."

"How is he? Is he okay?" She needed to know desperately. All those years of searching for the smallest hints and now something this big was right in front of her?

"Yang…" This was hard for him. The hopefulness that stared back at him from across the table stung at his heart knowing what he knew. The girl's mother was one thing but her brother, her direct blood that had no choice in walking out of her life, was something entirely different.

"Tell me, Qrow. Tell me if my brother is okay." The girl stood from her table and leaned toward her uncle. There was no avoiding this now.

"Your brother… he isn't what you expect him to be. He's not what you want him to be." That answer wasn't satisfactory in the slightest to Yang as she leaned closer to her uncle, her eyes now a deep shade of the red that signified her anger.

"Qrow. Is my brother okay?"

"Your brother is a murderer." He immediately regretted the way the words came out of his mouth. He knew he needed to be blunt with the girl but not _that_ blunt. The confusion etched across her face confirmed that.

"What…"

"Your mom." Qrow dragged his hand down his face as yet another sigh fell from his lips. "She raised him the same way we were raised. The Branwens are a clan of thieves, renegades and murderers."

"That doesn't mean he goes around killing people! My brother is not a killer." Yang shouted in defiance.

"That's where you're wrong, kid." It hurt to tear the girl down like he was about to do but it was necessary. "I've seen his handiwork. I've confronted him about i-"

"If you talked with him, why haven't you tried to bring him back?"

"I tried. Trust me, I did. Raven's got her claws in him. He has no plans on coming back."

"You didn't try hard enough." Yang shot up from her seat with fire in her hair. Qrow opened his mouth to speak, only to have the girl's fist slamming into the table interrupt him.

"I'm going to find both of them. And, when I do, I'm going to get some answers out of my mom then I'm going to drag my little brother back to his home whether he wants to or not." With those words, the girl leapt from her seat and stomped away from the table, leaving behind a very tired and defeated Qrow.

"Just as stubborn as your mom."

* * *

The streets of Vacuo were hectic as prospective students ravaged every possible nook and cranny the town had to offer. To the locals, this was a normal and welcomed sight. Seeing some of the students who would go on to protect their kingdom was reassuring to them.

"Everything is covered in sand."

Naruto was not among those students.

As hard as it may have been to believe, he did not come to Shade to participate in the entrance exam. He had no aspirations of becoming a huntsman and Raven certainly didn't want that for her son.

No, he was here for something much more important. Something much more dire. Something that was much harder to find than some silly gold idols.

"Where is the cafeteria?" he mumbled as he slinked his way down one of Shade's many hallways.

"This is nearly as bad as the sewers." He stopped himself from letting out a sigh. This was a stealth mission and his entrance into the academy had already drawn enough attention to himself as it was. The academy's security system had been a little more than he had anticipated and left him scrambling between buildings to avoid some very overzealous guards.

A distant yell pushed him further down the hall. The less time he spent out in the open, the better. He wasn't one to count his blessings but he knew that the amount he had was much more than he deserved and probably all he was going to get for the rest of the mission. He had no doubt that some camera that had gone hidden against his senses was trained on him, recording his movements and endangering his mission.

Relief flooded his body as he turned the corner. A long hallway and a set of closed doors met his eyes. Cafeteria, the word outline in thick white letters, hung above the set of double doors, beckoning him to come closer. And come closer he did.

He drew his sword as he approached the door. When he was within arm's reach, he swiped away at the wooden doors. A kick by him sent diced sword blasting into pieces, revealing the cafeteria to the boy.

All in all, the room wasn't anything special. It was similar to the mess halls the Branwens would use to host their meals. Instead of stumps, there were chairs and instead of torches, there were fluorescent lighting.

His footsteps echoed through the empty room. His eyes peered out from behind his mask as he walked. His hand remained on the hilt of his blade even as he approached the cafeteria's counter. He only relinquished his hold of the weapon to lift himself up and over the counter.

"One step closer."

Once over the counter, he immediately moved into the kitchen. According to his mother, that was where his real mission would begin.

"The things I do for her."

A soft chuckle left his lips as he moved past a cold grill. He was beyond loyal to the woman that raised him but even he, at times, had to question what was going on in that head of hers. Every once in awhile, it would seem as if she would get lost in the crowd. Staring at the sky for periods of time only to snap back to reality just so she could snap some orders at someone.

That someone usually being him.

"Just like she said," he said to himself after stopping in front of one of the few unblocked surfaces within the kitchen. Despite his mother claiming to have never stepped foot in Shade Academy, she had managed to provide him a detailed description of the kitchen. All the details, all the way down to the number of freezers, had been beaten into him, including the wall in front of him. The ten seemingly random markings that bordered its edge told him all he needed to know.

With a flick of his wrist, the tip of his sword was buried in the center of the wall, shattering the white tile that covered its surface. Underneath his mask, Naruto's face was a mask of its own as he focused the entirety of his attention on his current task.

Slowly, slower than he had ever done anything before, the boy began to carve a spiral within the wall. The process was slow at first, the inner curves proving to be difficult to manufacture with the sword. The outer curves proved to be much easier for him and, soon after starting, the boy had finished his crude masterpiece.

"I hope that was neat en-"

He didn't get a chance to finish his statement before the center of the spiral ignited in a flash of blue fire. The blond jumped back, his sword in hand and ready to strike as the flames spread throughout the spiral. His heart pounded in his chest as the flames grew more and more intense, causing him to sweat underneath his mask.

"She didn't warn me about this!"

He wanted to curse his mom but couldn't find the focus to do so at the moment. Instead, he had to focus on not losing his lunch as a strong pulling sensation washed over his body. Before he could react, he found himself swept off of his feet and out of sight as the flaming spiral ignited the room with its flame.

 **What is your purpose?**

 **Come reclaim it.**

 **Come lost child.**

 **Take what is yours.**

"Those fucking voices." Elegantly, at least as elegant as he could manage, he pushed himself off of the floor and onto his feet. His eyes shut and his hand shot up to his head as a sense of nausea slammed through him.

 **Come, child.**

 **Come, child.**

 **Come, child.**

His hand fell from his head with a grunt. A single eye peeked open despite the wave of nausea. He managed to soak in a brief glance of his surroundings before the sensation of wanting to release the entirety of his stomach forced his eye closed.

Honestly, it looked as if he was in a sewer. The curved walls, dark brick floors, and poor lighting reminded him all too well of the horrendously pungent walkways he used to traverse into some of his more dangerous missions. Luckily for him, this place didn't have nearly as bad of a smell than an actual sewer.

 **Come, child.**

 **Come, chi-**

"Shut up!" he shouted and, thankfully, the voice went silent. His nausea disappeared a moment after the voice, leaving him with his full mental capacities.

"Thank go-"

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

Not a moment too soon, the voices came back and brought along with them the sense of nausea. A rough growl forced its way out of Naruto's throat as he took a stumbling step forward, one hand placed against his temple while the other rested on his sword's handle.

"When I find whoever is causing this."

With seemingly no other option than the one in front of him, the blond stumbled forward. His sudden sense of vertigo left his movements choppy and uneven. Luckily for him, the path was a straight one with no divergence. All he had to do was stay on his feet and walk forward.

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

He walked for what seemed like forever. Whether it was because of his head sickness or the utter blandness of his surroundings, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of was how much he hated sewers. Every crappy situation he had found himself in within the past few months had started with a sewer and this was no different.

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

The first sign of change was a brief spark of light that shone in peripheral. As quick as he could with a pounding headache, he turned to face the life and was met with the same bland curved walls he had been walking past. With a grunt, he turned to face forward again, prepared to continue his eternal march to nothingness. Instead of more sewer, he was met with something different. Much more different.

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

In the brief time, he had looked away from his front, the sewer had morphed. The curved walls turned straight and a third wall erected itself, creating a dead end. Lighting, evanescent balls of light poking out from the walls, bathed the room in a warm yellow glow. A single pillar, standing nearly four feet tall, sat in the middle of the passage and on it sat one of the more unique weapons the blond had ever seen.

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

Where most knives had only a single blade, this weapon had three. The handle, a seemingly thick oak wood, had strange symbols etched onto its surface. The light flooding from the room allowed the weapon's pristine silver shine to glow within the room, capturing and holding the blond's attention with an unseen savagery.

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

 **Come, child**

The voices ranging out in his head had reached a fever pitch. Where it was once calm and distant, nearly ignorable, now its voice filled its ears. It echoed through his head, filling his mind with its presence.

 **Claim it!**

Had he been in any other state of mind, he would have questioned the urgency of the voice. He would have questioned his surroundings, how he found himself where he was and just why exactly the voice wanted him to grab the stupid knife. Yet, with his head pounding and his lunch moments away from being ejected from his body, he didn't question any of this. Instead, he followed the voice's pleading. He took the two steps separating him from the pedestal, reached out with his right arm and wrapped his fingers around the blade.

 **Naruto Uzumaki. Welcome!**

* * *

 **AN: To those of you who have been claiming how this is just an OC with Naruto's name slapped on it, here you go. Now, the connection between Naruto Branwen and Naruto Uzumaki will be shown.**

 **Anyways, hoped you enjoyed the chapter. A new chapter of my shopkeeper fic will be coming out within the next couple of days. Review or PM with me any questions, concerns, comments, etc. I'll be replying to my packed inbox later today so be a bit patient. Thank you and have a nice day.**


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